A 'realistic' sci-fi FPS?
by Daniel Buckmaster · in Game Design and Creative Issues · 12/18/2006 (8:19 am) · 35 replies
Beware, this may be quite disorganised. I'm just throwing ideas around at this stage...
I just want to put this idea out there: how would a 'realistic' science-fiction first person shooter go down? Actually, I think I'd better explain my vision first.
My idea was spawned from questions. Questions about other sci-fi FPSs. A few examples pertaining to the Halo games:
Why haven't humans developed better weapons yet? Wht haven't they thought of better tactics for their ground troops instead of going back to a WWII level? How the hell does Covenant plasma not evaporate in the atmosphere? Why are Covenant troops so incompetent? Why haven't we banned smoking yet?
The simple answer is because Halo is a game, and it has to appeal to the market to sell. Thus, things that are cool, even if they're not scientifically accurate or they're completely against common sense.
I had the idea for a game even as I was playing through Halo, and after reading some excelent science fiction (Peter F. Hamilton anyone?), I've got some ideas of my own.
Ground combat
Right, I'll start here because it's easiest. The standard weapon of the human military is the coilgun, a weapon that uses magnetism to fire a projectile very fast, and with very little noise. Other weapons include lasers/masers, Fermi weapons (they ignite the atmosphere in a controlled way), advanced missiles (heat-seeking, electromagnetism-seeking, loitering, and lots of different explosive types) and a whole host of coilgun variants. Individual troopers are a formidable opponent, wearing reactive armour that hardens to absorb impacts and softens to allow freedom of movement.
Tactics play a big role, as does recon and intelligence. If you locate an enemy, there are a plethora of ways to take him out. You have to keep moving to avoid the enemy becoming similarly aware of you.
Space travel and combat
Spaceships run off on-board fusion reactors. These can push an automated combat ship at accelerations of up to 30g. This is limited to 15g when humans are on board. At these speeds, armour matters little, and electronic warfare is very important. Some ships are geared towards this and nothing else, to protect ships that carry armaments. The typical combat ship is only the size of a house and carries a crew of around five. Weapons include laser/maser canon, demi-nukes (nuclear weapons detonated with antimatter), enhanced radiaton bombs (similar to today's neutron bomb), energetic explosives (antimatter is an example), kinetic shot spreaders (like a giant freakin' shotgun), and strafe-drones (tiny craft that get up close and slash an enemy fighter with lasers/masers). Munitions are launched at huge speeds.
The human domain
Humans live throughout the Solar system, and have colonised Alpha Centauri using a type of FTL technology (I had to include it, come on). AC has two planets with breathable atmosphere, and five without. Orbital stations have been constructed over Jupiter, and the Moon is settled. Marsh did have setlements, but a disaster destroyed them. Interest was lost in colonising the Solar system when AC was discovered and reached.
The aliens
Yes, there will be aliens. Simply because it's more interesting and makes a better story. Only one race, however. They are vaguely humanoid and create their own food through thermosynthesis (think of photosynthesis, but with heat instead of light). They have one planet in their home system with air breathable to them, and there are some interesting reasons why they invade Alpha Centauri (which I'm not telling).
Well, that's really all I wanted to say. So here's my question(s): how does it sound? Could it make a good game?
I can answer pretty much any question about it that I haven't included here.
I just want to put this idea out there: how would a 'realistic' science-fiction first person shooter go down? Actually, I think I'd better explain my vision first.
My idea was spawned from questions. Questions about other sci-fi FPSs. A few examples pertaining to the Halo games:
Why haven't humans developed better weapons yet? Wht haven't they thought of better tactics for their ground troops instead of going back to a WWII level? How the hell does Covenant plasma not evaporate in the atmosphere? Why are Covenant troops so incompetent? Why haven't we banned smoking yet?
The simple answer is because Halo is a game, and it has to appeal to the market to sell. Thus, things that are cool, even if they're not scientifically accurate or they're completely against common sense.
I had the idea for a game even as I was playing through Halo, and after reading some excelent science fiction (Peter F. Hamilton anyone?), I've got some ideas of my own.
Ground combat
Right, I'll start here because it's easiest. The standard weapon of the human military is the coilgun, a weapon that uses magnetism to fire a projectile very fast, and with very little noise. Other weapons include lasers/masers, Fermi weapons (they ignite the atmosphere in a controlled way), advanced missiles (heat-seeking, electromagnetism-seeking, loitering, and lots of different explosive types) and a whole host of coilgun variants. Individual troopers are a formidable opponent, wearing reactive armour that hardens to absorb impacts and softens to allow freedom of movement.
Tactics play a big role, as does recon and intelligence. If you locate an enemy, there are a plethora of ways to take him out. You have to keep moving to avoid the enemy becoming similarly aware of you.
Space travel and combat
Spaceships run off on-board fusion reactors. These can push an automated combat ship at accelerations of up to 30g. This is limited to 15g when humans are on board. At these speeds, armour matters little, and electronic warfare is very important. Some ships are geared towards this and nothing else, to protect ships that carry armaments. The typical combat ship is only the size of a house and carries a crew of around five. Weapons include laser/maser canon, demi-nukes (nuclear weapons detonated with antimatter), enhanced radiaton bombs (similar to today's neutron bomb), energetic explosives (antimatter is an example), kinetic shot spreaders (like a giant freakin' shotgun), and strafe-drones (tiny craft that get up close and slash an enemy fighter with lasers/masers). Munitions are launched at huge speeds.
The human domain
Humans live throughout the Solar system, and have colonised Alpha Centauri using a type of FTL technology (I had to include it, come on). AC has two planets with breathable atmosphere, and five without. Orbital stations have been constructed over Jupiter, and the Moon is settled. Marsh did have setlements, but a disaster destroyed them. Interest was lost in colonising the Solar system when AC was discovered and reached.
The aliens
Yes, there will be aliens. Simply because it's more interesting and makes a better story. Only one race, however. They are vaguely humanoid and create their own food through thermosynthesis (think of photosynthesis, but with heat instead of light). They have one planet in their home system with air breathable to them, and there are some interesting reasons why they invade Alpha Centauri (which I'm not telling).
Well, that's really all I wanted to say. So here's my question(s): how does it sound? Could it make a good game?
I can answer pretty much any question about it that I haven't included here.
About the author
Studying mechatronic engineering and computer science at the University of Sydney. Game development is probably my most time-consuming hobby!
#2
12/18/2006 (12:42 pm)
We've used the same infantry tactics since the dawn of man. Flanking, both small scale (in the heat of battle) and large scale (Stalingrad), have been used in every documented battle. There is no giving that the axe. Supporting/submission fire will always exist. Suicide runs into no-mans land are a last resort, and nothing else. 
#3
Armies tactics DO change, but not by much because the methods and tactics in place "just work".
As far a weapons, soldier-carried weapons are not likely to change much any time soon. Why? The current method of operation is damn near perfect. You have a really simple machine that requires very little maintenance and almost never breaks with an ammunition that combines its energy source and its projectile in a small, stable, weatherproof, easy-to-carry container.
I've put a bit of thought into this myself, the gadgetry needs to be ignored for the larger and more important aspect of usability, durability, and of course, effectiveness of killing the enemy.
12/18/2006 (1:39 pm)
"If it ain't broke, don't fix it."Armies tactics DO change, but not by much because the methods and tactics in place "just work".
As far a weapons, soldier-carried weapons are not likely to change much any time soon. Why? The current method of operation is damn near perfect. You have a really simple machine that requires very little maintenance and almost never breaks with an ammunition that combines its energy source and its projectile in a small, stable, weatherproof, easy-to-carry container.
I've put a bit of thought into this myself, the gadgetry needs to be ignored for the larger and more important aspect of usability, durability, and of course, effectiveness of killing the enemy.
#4
Plus, they don't slow down to open fire. They launch missiles and drones, which then attack the enemy ship as it passes. Like a game of chicken, but much faster.
The coilgun would basically be an advanced version of a sniper rifle today. Scopes built in to a troopers helmet can zoom in for them and sync their crosshair, and the coilgun has a high enough muzzle velocity that it's very accurate. It can also fire rapid shots, but then you get recoil and magnetic residue coming into play.
Lasers are instant-hit, but don't have the range of coilguns. Fermi weapons will basically light a whole area on fire for an instant, and leave a nasty smell in the air.
Also, missiles with advanced programming can open up new tactics. Instead of needing covering fire for your advance, just fire some loiter missiles over the enemy position. If the enemy shows themselves, the missiles lock on and kill them.
12/19/2006 (5:23 am)
Quote:As far a weapons, soldier-carried weapons are not likely to change much any time soon. ... in a small, stable, weatherproof, easy-to-carry container.Meh. I guess it boils down to personal opinion. Coilguns have no moving parts but the projectile, how's that for simple? ;-)
Quote:We've used the same infantry tactics since the dawn of man. ... Suicide runs into no-mans land are a last resort, and nothing else.But take th example of battles in WWI and compare it toi US forces in Iraq. Quite different, if I'm not mistaken. I'm not talking about things like flanking and supporting fire - true, they're basic elements of warfare. But dropping troops from vehicles right in front of an entrenched enemy doesn't seem like a really good idea.
Quote:Why haven't we banned smoking yet? Because you're much more likely to die from enemy fire than lung cancer so what does it matter? ;-)Nicely argued :-)
Quote:It sounds like an interesting game but not that different from what's already out there. You've still got spaceships, aliens, and a plethora of weaponsTrue, but the point is that each of those are different.
Quote:The armour is interesting. From the way you describe it, you need to stop when people are shooting at you in order for it to harden. That could make for some weird situations. You can get caught in crossfire in an open field and the best thing to do is stand there and take it.Well, not really. Maybe if you're being fired upon frequently, your mobility will be impeded, but the armour's processor will take movement as higher priority than safety. So, if you're running, you'll be a little more vulnerable at joints. And if your armour's processor is hit, it will either lock up and make you quite a bit slower, or go slack and leave you almost undefended.
Quote:Are the ships trying to infect each other with computer viruses in space instead of blowing each other up? Then they slow down and open fire?Think Tom Clancy sub warfare. The spaceships use jamming, cloaking, viruses, etc., to hide their locations and what they're doing. If the enemy doesn't know where you are, they can't shoot you. Distances in combat (and the size of individual ships) means that visual sensors aren't very useful. If you get close enough to see your enemy, you're well within weapons range...
Plus, they don't slow down to open fire. They launch missiles and drones, which then attack the enemy ship as it passes. Like a game of chicken, but much faster.
Quote:You're basing your weapons of real prototypes and theories, but in terms of game mechanics they accomplish the same thing.Again, I guess it's my fault for not explaining well enough. But I ran out of space ;-)
The coilgun would basically be an advanced version of a sniper rifle today. Scopes built in to a troopers helmet can zoom in for them and sync their crosshair, and the coilgun has a high enough muzzle velocity that it's very accurate. It can also fire rapid shots, but then you get recoil and magnetic residue coming into play.
Lasers are instant-hit, but don't have the range of coilguns. Fermi weapons will basically light a whole area on fire for an instant, and leave a nasty smell in the air.
Also, missiles with advanced programming can open up new tactics. Instead of needing covering fire for your advance, just fire some loiter missiles over the enemy position. If the enemy shows themselves, the missiles lock on and kill them.
#5
But only one question, why are we fighting the aliens?
12/20/2006 (8:20 pm)
Sounds nice, but I myself never enjoyed sci-fi games too much because of all the high-tech armor and such. Never much of a halo fan.... my main reason, is the time it takes to kill someone really, battles feel pretty slow and a better weapon usually wins. You shot a guy for 12 seconds in the face with your starter smg and he drops. Then some 7-year old kills you with one hit when he smacks you with the butt of his gun. It's just a normal whack too! I suppose i could see if the ends of guns had some shield penetrating plasma whatnot, but when in war has a fist overpowered hundreds of screaming bullets? I prefer counter-strike style play, where a psitol with a shot to the head > an AK to the stomach (except the AWP). Sounds like a good concept though, you really went in-depth with everything. It's nice to see some sci-fi games going for a realistic fight, I've always liked realism above modified gameplay, because realism creates a fun game IMO.But only one question, why are we fighting the aliens?
#6
The aliens have one planet that they can live on in their home system, and they messed it up even worse than we've done with Earth. Because of the way their biolog works, they have one offspring every seven years, and with an average lifespan of about a hundred and seventy, that's a large birth rate. So their planet is almost as full as it can be, and polluted.
Then they discover the Alpha Centaui system (before we do). ACen B is further away from the star that it orbits, so it's slightly too cold for them. But ACen A is closer, giving it a warmer climate. The downside is, it has the wrong atmosphere. So every separate government on their home planet pulls together to fund a mission to terraform ACen A. Basically, this involves setting up atmosphere factories and seeding a series of genetically modified plants that naturally produce an atmosphere they can breathe.
Tnhe process takes several hundred years.
When the planet's getting close to being ready, they dismantle the atmosphere factories and go, leaving only n underground waystation that will check back with them every fifty years (or close to - the way their years work out, it's 49 of our years and 11 months).
Then humans find the system. We colonise ACen B pretty quickly, and a few years later, ACenA. This was right after their waystation sent its half-century message. Humans find the strange plant on the planet, and regard it as a weed - it gets everywhere and produces a bad-smelling gas.
So when the waystation next fires, it reports a catastrophic drop in breathable atmosphere and lots of gases that weren't supposed to be there. The aliens put it down to systems failure. The request to send a team to fix it is blocked by some person in their government (gotta work that part out...).
A while later, the Infinity Division, a human extremist group (who want the Alpha Centauri system to be independant from the Solar one), find the alien waystation. Security systems open a wormhole to the alien planet and a security team confronts the humans. That government guy is with them. They eventually communicate with the humans and pursuade them to chase the humans of ACen B. So then, when the humans are gone, the aliens will be able to move in and restart the planet's terraforming.
To cut a long story short, the Infinity Division fails in their objective, and the aliens take matters into their on hands. They basically drop troops all over the settled parts of ACen B and take control of the planet. However, somebody forgot to ask what they want (an Infinity Division worker in the human government), so instead of peace talks, the humans send in the army.
Looking back now, it sounds a bit crappy. But I'm actually writing this story up as a novel. There's a lot more politics in it than I've put here (about the Infinity Division mostly), and the ID's motive is actually explained (more than the simple version here).
But I wanted the aliens to invade because of something we'd done, not because they feel like a fight - that seems to be th motive of every sci-fi game alien race.
12/21/2006 (1:06 am)
Meh, I didn't want to reveal that, but basically:The aliens have one planet that they can live on in their home system, and they messed it up even worse than we've done with Earth. Because of the way their biolog works, they have one offspring every seven years, and with an average lifespan of about a hundred and seventy, that's a large birth rate. So their planet is almost as full as it can be, and polluted.
Then they discover the Alpha Centaui system (before we do). ACen B is further away from the star that it orbits, so it's slightly too cold for them. But ACen A is closer, giving it a warmer climate. The downside is, it has the wrong atmosphere. So every separate government on their home planet pulls together to fund a mission to terraform ACen A. Basically, this involves setting up atmosphere factories and seeding a series of genetically modified plants that naturally produce an atmosphere they can breathe.
Tnhe process takes several hundred years.
When the planet's getting close to being ready, they dismantle the atmosphere factories and go, leaving only n underground waystation that will check back with them every fifty years (or close to - the way their years work out, it's 49 of our years and 11 months).
Then humans find the system. We colonise ACen B pretty quickly, and a few years later, ACenA. This was right after their waystation sent its half-century message. Humans find the strange plant on the planet, and regard it as a weed - it gets everywhere and produces a bad-smelling gas.
So when the waystation next fires, it reports a catastrophic drop in breathable atmosphere and lots of gases that weren't supposed to be there. The aliens put it down to systems failure. The request to send a team to fix it is blocked by some person in their government (gotta work that part out...).
A while later, the Infinity Division, a human extremist group (who want the Alpha Centauri system to be independant from the Solar one), find the alien waystation. Security systems open a wormhole to the alien planet and a security team confronts the humans. That government guy is with them. They eventually communicate with the humans and pursuade them to chase the humans of ACen B. So then, when the humans are gone, the aliens will be able to move in and restart the planet's terraforming.
To cut a long story short, the Infinity Division fails in their objective, and the aliens take matters into their on hands. They basically drop troops all over the settled parts of ACen B and take control of the planet. However, somebody forgot to ask what they want (an Infinity Division worker in the human government), so instead of peace talks, the humans send in the army.
Looking back now, it sounds a bit crappy. But I'm actually writing this story up as a novel. There's a lot more politics in it than I've put here (about the Infinity Division mostly), and the ID's motive is actually explained (more than the simple version here).
But I wanted the aliens to invade because of something we'd done, not because they feel like a fight - that seems to be th motive of every sci-fi game alien race.
#7
12/21/2006 (9:11 am)
The plot as you laid it out here is a bit unclear, but if I get the gist of it, it's basically a case of overreacting to the unexpected appearance of a percieved enemy. I'd assume part of the plot for the palyer ends up being untangling the mess before things go completely pear-shaped.
#8
The following is all based on fiction but written as if it's fact becuase I don't want to get a bunch of angry posts... also it's not even my personal opinion it's being dictated to me by someone smarter than myself but doesn;t know how to use a computer so I'm typing it now, also since this person is laying down on the couch behind me and can't read this I can say that I DID eat that jello in the fridge you set aside with a painstakingly detailed note signed Todd! Take that you son of a bitch!
I think the battle field is going to change first you'll never see two world superpowers fighting anymore, they're still both "leveling up". To level up invade smaller, weaker countries untill there is no one left, then it's time for the big fight.
If and when the superpowers clash the battle field is likely to be a bunch of button presses but ground infantry will never be completly eliminated. We will always need to send in people since there is no cheaper commodity than human life (gogo gadget Paul Verhoven). Ok pretend you're in charge of a country... a country with an army... a first world country with an army now you could spend lots of money developing things like armor and tanks or you could just send in the peopel who don't seem to lend much to your countries economy typically made in abundance becuase of your policy on child support (i.e the more kids you have the more money you recieve to support them). What will they do when they're 18? Join your army that's what! You don't even have to give then any armor or much training, just give them a gun and tell them they're awesome and can do anything and send them in to a weaker country en mass. You just destroyed a small country congradulations! you just saved money AND leveled up!
So assume now it's hundreds of yers in the future as these sci-fi stories usually are and you've now wiped out thoes troublesome lower classes in an all-out battle now all you're left with are middle and upper class and there's no whay you're going to send them into battle but who will take their place? ROBOTS! Robots will march onto the battle field since you can now afford them thanks to a little money saving tactic mentioned earlier.
What may happen though?
The main computer controlling them becomes self-aware and they turn on humans and then it's like humans vs. robots and body parts are flying all over the place and laser bolts are lighting up the terrain and it's really cool but there's no time traveling just hard core battle. Then after the "Great Robot-War of 2987" to which the main character of our story was typically a part of (he should also have some scar to show just how badass he is and have flashbacks to add drama to his life).
The battle field changes again, people now having fought now in the sea, on land and in the air have only one place to go... el Lucha libre the UN now called the "New UN" is shaped like a HUGE wrestling arena and luchadors fight for their countries pulling awesome flips and tackles and it's to the death. Countries wager a new world currency used only in these events called... Quatloo's and it usually takes at least 400 to wager on any newcomer representing his or her country.
The match is televised worldwide and are under very strict security to prevent tampering which the new intelligence agencies of the countries focus on "How can we cheat!?". Anyway so all is going well and our main character called "Flashback" who's real name is John since that's the most generic name you could give a main character but in the future that's a very uncommon name anyway he becomes a new luchador to fight and during a fight there's this huge rumbling outside and all these pryamid shaped spacecrafts (since that's the most perfect shape in the universe - a soap bubble floats away and balls roll but a pyramid just frickin sits there laughing in the face of time) start landing over major cities... and where did they come from? Alpha Centuri since that's NEVER used in sci-fi and it is the most realistic possible choice as to where aliens will come from and it's got name recognition so people will be like oh my gosh I've heard of Alpha Centuri this story touches my deep understanding of the universe in ways nothing else could.
The Aliens should be called something like the Xracy (since in their strange alien language they use X's everywhere) they all start landing in droves shooting laser bolts aimlessly into the cities since they have NO weapons on the spacecrafts, however they have sheilds, very powerful shields... (the opposite of humans who don't have shelds at all - too expensive). John "Flashback" Johnson straps on his boots and his luchador mask and grabs the nearest Railgun, and is sent in by the new quickly reconfigured United Nations Intelligence Agency a new united world governemt just to amke it "US vs. Them". John is chosen since he has the most expirience in war after fighting in the Great Robot-War of 2987 (make sure it's an odd number to shake things up a abit).
John Flashback Johnson fights his way through the alien hordes in every major city and even on the moon where their mothship landed (in one mission he needs to steal one of their spacecrafts - but it's np even though he's an expirienced pilot and even though the craft is completly alien he has no trouble flying it in in fact he flys it much better than they ever could). Eventually he becomes the major thorn in their side not to be confused with a comical yet informed Major Thorn who should resemble someone like Rip Torn who is able to give a briefing before every mission John is sent on, even when he's on the moon he still recieves letters somehow that is read aloud as if Thorn is right there beside him. It's probably best though to hear Thorns voice since John reads aloud like a child "the main ent... entra... since entrance is gau... gar... garded h-e-vil-ee heavily, use the back".
Anyway so he fights all the way to the queen, who offers hima position with her to rule the galaxy but it's important to take on Earth first becuase they're still "leveling up". John kills her which in turn cuases every alien and ship to explode somehow and he returns to a united Earth never to expirience war every again, oh and his Flashbacks and nightmares disapear. Also we should be sure to have hallucination when he looks at stuff that remind him of the Great Robot-War of 2987.
Ok... ok... there is no Todd I made it all up but I did find some jello in the fridge not sure who's it was. I live alone :o
Now THAT'S A "REALISTIC" SCI-FI FPS!!!
12/23/2006 (2:58 am)
Firstly anything with a Railgun is cool! It was one of my favorite weapons in Quake2 and Quake3 and I think Quake4 had one too.The following is all based on fiction but written as if it's fact becuase I don't want to get a bunch of angry posts... also it's not even my personal opinion it's being dictated to me by someone smarter than myself but doesn;t know how to use a computer so I'm typing it now, also since this person is laying down on the couch behind me and can't read this I can say that I DID eat that jello in the fridge you set aside with a painstakingly detailed note signed Todd! Take that you son of a bitch!
I think the battle field is going to change first you'll never see two world superpowers fighting anymore, they're still both "leveling up". To level up invade smaller, weaker countries untill there is no one left, then it's time for the big fight.
If and when the superpowers clash the battle field is likely to be a bunch of button presses but ground infantry will never be completly eliminated. We will always need to send in people since there is no cheaper commodity than human life (gogo gadget Paul Verhoven). Ok pretend you're in charge of a country... a country with an army... a first world country with an army now you could spend lots of money developing things like armor and tanks or you could just send in the peopel who don't seem to lend much to your countries economy typically made in abundance becuase of your policy on child support (i.e the more kids you have the more money you recieve to support them). What will they do when they're 18? Join your army that's what! You don't even have to give then any armor or much training, just give them a gun and tell them they're awesome and can do anything and send them in to a weaker country en mass. You just destroyed a small country congradulations! you just saved money AND leveled up!
So assume now it's hundreds of yers in the future as these sci-fi stories usually are and you've now wiped out thoes troublesome lower classes in an all-out battle now all you're left with are middle and upper class and there's no whay you're going to send them into battle but who will take their place? ROBOTS! Robots will march onto the battle field since you can now afford them thanks to a little money saving tactic mentioned earlier.
What may happen though?
The main computer controlling them becomes self-aware and they turn on humans and then it's like humans vs. robots and body parts are flying all over the place and laser bolts are lighting up the terrain and it's really cool but there's no time traveling just hard core battle. Then after the "Great Robot-War of 2987" to which the main character of our story was typically a part of (he should also have some scar to show just how badass he is and have flashbacks to add drama to his life).
The battle field changes again, people now having fought now in the sea, on land and in the air have only one place to go... el Lucha libre the UN now called the "New UN" is shaped like a HUGE wrestling arena and luchadors fight for their countries pulling awesome flips and tackles and it's to the death. Countries wager a new world currency used only in these events called... Quatloo's and it usually takes at least 400 to wager on any newcomer representing his or her country.
The match is televised worldwide and are under very strict security to prevent tampering which the new intelligence agencies of the countries focus on "How can we cheat!?". Anyway so all is going well and our main character called "Flashback" who's real name is John since that's the most generic name you could give a main character but in the future that's a very uncommon name anyway he becomes a new luchador to fight and during a fight there's this huge rumbling outside and all these pryamid shaped spacecrafts (since that's the most perfect shape in the universe - a soap bubble floats away and balls roll but a pyramid just frickin sits there laughing in the face of time) start landing over major cities... and where did they come from? Alpha Centuri since that's NEVER used in sci-fi and it is the most realistic possible choice as to where aliens will come from and it's got name recognition so people will be like oh my gosh I've heard of Alpha Centuri this story touches my deep understanding of the universe in ways nothing else could.
The Aliens should be called something like the Xracy (since in their strange alien language they use X's everywhere) they all start landing in droves shooting laser bolts aimlessly into the cities since they have NO weapons on the spacecrafts, however they have sheilds, very powerful shields... (the opposite of humans who don't have shelds at all - too expensive). John "Flashback" Johnson straps on his boots and his luchador mask and grabs the nearest Railgun, and is sent in by the new quickly reconfigured United Nations Intelligence Agency a new united world governemt just to amke it "US vs. Them". John is chosen since he has the most expirience in war after fighting in the Great Robot-War of 2987 (make sure it's an odd number to shake things up a abit).
John Flashback Johnson fights his way through the alien hordes in every major city and even on the moon where their mothship landed (in one mission he needs to steal one of their spacecrafts - but it's np even though he's an expirienced pilot and even though the craft is completly alien he has no trouble flying it in in fact he flys it much better than they ever could). Eventually he becomes the major thorn in their side not to be confused with a comical yet informed Major Thorn who should resemble someone like Rip Torn who is able to give a briefing before every mission John is sent on, even when he's on the moon he still recieves letters somehow that is read aloud as if Thorn is right there beside him. It's probably best though to hear Thorns voice since John reads aloud like a child "the main ent... entra... since entrance is gau... gar... garded h-e-vil-ee heavily, use the back".
Anyway so he fights all the way to the queen, who offers hima position with her to rule the galaxy but it's important to take on Earth first becuase they're still "leveling up". John kills her which in turn cuases every alien and ship to explode somehow and he returns to a united Earth never to expirience war every again, oh and his Flashbacks and nightmares disapear. Also we should be sure to have hallucination when he looks at stuff that remind him of the Great Robot-War of 2987.
Ok... ok... there is no Todd I made it all up but I did find some jello in the fridge not sure who's it was. I live alone :o
Now THAT'S A "REALISTIC" SCI-FI FPS!!!
#9
12/25/2006 (11:43 pm)
Yeah, um... When I said 'realistic', I didn't mean Hollywood 'realistic'...
#10
You asked why smoking wouldn't be banned in the future. It won't be. Not if things keep going the way they are, and not if people remain reliably people, as they have done for mellinia. There is too much money and politics behind the industry for there even to be a hope of banning smoking. We've known that smoking kills for decades now, but has that stopped us? Nope. Here in America, we're smoking more than ever. What's my point?
You have to follow much more than science in order to have a clue about what things will be like in the future, and even then it's a pathetic guess. Oh, everybody says we'll go into space and inhabit other planets.
I'm not sure if you're aware of Spaceship 1, but I'm going to assume you are. They plan on taking people into space. Ordinary (rich) people. What if they have some sort of terrible accident? What if one or several of these ordinary (rich) people happens to be the leader of a powerful country, or perhaps a charming, innocent school teacher? There are the sorts of things that change the public's mind. (I'm not saying that that's enough to slow the progress of eventual space travel. Not even close. But it's concievable it could happen if several large events like this happened). Suddenly nobody wants to fly to Mars or wherever it is we happen to go.
MY POINT, finally, is this. There are popular futures, it seems, that are common in the field of science fiction. Most include some sort of FTL drive, or something similar. Most assume that we will be more civilized, more intelligent somehow. (What a silly notion! We today are no more civilized than the ancient Romans, or earlier, the Egyptians. And the Egyptians had to be pretty darn smart if they've got alien civilizations ripping off the shapes of their monuments.)
These are popular theories simply because they offer hope of better times. These things are not necessarily ever going to happen. In some ways your story is just as 'Hollywood' as Mitchell's is.
None of this is to discourage you (I say after discouraging you), only to remind you that science FICTION is all guess work and imagination. There is no realism, except for when it comes to people, because people never change. Not where it matters. So, what you're really asking is 'an INTELLIGENT Sci-Fi FPS?'
01/07/2007 (12:02 am)
Here's the thing about science fiction. It's science FICTION. True, there's that science bit too, which means that at least some of your tech must be scientifically possible. The fact that we could someday build the weapons that you mentioned is no proof that they will ever be built. You asked why smoking wouldn't be banned in the future. It won't be. Not if things keep going the way they are, and not if people remain reliably people, as they have done for mellinia. There is too much money and politics behind the industry for there even to be a hope of banning smoking. We've known that smoking kills for decades now, but has that stopped us? Nope. Here in America, we're smoking more than ever. What's my point?
You have to follow much more than science in order to have a clue about what things will be like in the future, and even then it's a pathetic guess. Oh, everybody says we'll go into space and inhabit other planets.
I'm not sure if you're aware of Spaceship 1, but I'm going to assume you are. They plan on taking people into space. Ordinary (rich) people. What if they have some sort of terrible accident? What if one or several of these ordinary (rich) people happens to be the leader of a powerful country, or perhaps a charming, innocent school teacher? There are the sorts of things that change the public's mind. (I'm not saying that that's enough to slow the progress of eventual space travel. Not even close. But it's concievable it could happen if several large events like this happened). Suddenly nobody wants to fly to Mars or wherever it is we happen to go.
MY POINT, finally, is this. There are popular futures, it seems, that are common in the field of science fiction. Most include some sort of FTL drive, or something similar. Most assume that we will be more civilized, more intelligent somehow. (What a silly notion! We today are no more civilized than the ancient Romans, or earlier, the Egyptians. And the Egyptians had to be pretty darn smart if they've got alien civilizations ripping off the shapes of their monuments.)
These are popular theories simply because they offer hope of better times. These things are not necessarily ever going to happen. In some ways your story is just as 'Hollywood' as Mitchell's is.
None of this is to discourage you (I say after discouraging you), only to remind you that science FICTION is all guess work and imagination. There is no realism, except for when it comes to people, because people never change. Not where it matters. So, what you're really asking is 'an INTELLIGENT Sci-Fi FPS?'
#11
Things are almost certain: the advance of technology is one thing. I also believe that the banning of smoking is another, but I guess that's just opinion at this stage (but smoking is being banned in more and more places...).
But as for man being more civilised, it completely depends on your definition of civilisation. However, it is unarguable that people are more scientifically intelligent nowadays - did an average 15-year-old Egyptian know how to solve quadratic equations? Or even an average 15-year-old a hundred years ago?
01/07/2007 (4:35 am)
Now there's some thinking. I can't say I agree with everything you've said, but that's not the point. You're pretty much right about 'intelligent' sci-fi. However, I do think some things can be predicted accurately, like Kubrick did with 2001. Sure, he made a major mistake predicting we'd be living on the moon, but he did make several other small predictions relating to science and society that have come true.Things are almost certain: the advance of technology is one thing. I also believe that the banning of smoking is another, but I guess that's just opinion at this stage (but smoking is being banned in more and more places...).
But as for man being more civilised, it completely depends on your definition of civilisation. However, it is unarguable that people are more scientifically intelligent nowadays - did an average 15-year-old Egyptian know how to solve quadratic equations? Or even an average 15-year-old a hundred years ago?
#12
The moment someone jumps into hyperspace they can say bye-bye to the family, city, army and planet they just left - as they knew it. By the time they jump back as little as 1 year could have past, but more likely it would be decades or centuries.
I think the only way to "lose" time is to skim a black hole, something Einstein was on about - I think! Of course you could incorporate this in the action in the game, or just make all ships to come installed with an automatic "find a black hole and fly past it for a bit" computer to eliminate that issue.
This doesn't lend itself nicely to a persistant world, and a long running campaign against the aliens. Better to use worm holes to fold space, which costs little or no time to get there.
On the plot-line, it's best to make it something about the human condition. Like for example, Aliens was about Ripley's displacement, loss of her family, desire to be a mother, protector of her child - that sort of thing - while the overall visual was about monsters, and kick-ass weapons tech, this was not the main plot - it was the environment in which the human drama was played out.
Find a human condition that is central to your story - because readers (for your novel) and players will look for where "they" are positioned in the game. Does the theme / plot of the game relate some how to the player?
For example you could explore the issues of solitude, the claustrophic nature of moving around in tin cans in space, the tyranny of distance and the diplacement of man - "What on Earth are we doing all the way out here, in the ass-end of the universe, trying to steal back a chunk of rock from some stinkin' aliens?" would be one of the character's perspective on things.
You could focus on one character, and make them an uninitiated traveller in this new time (like Farscape / Buck Rogers / Aliens ) so they player can relate to them. The storyline would focus on all the new things such a person would find wonderous in this time. This is essentially how you want the player to feel about the assets / levels / visuals you create for the game.
Good luck, sounds like fun to me :)
01/07/2007 (6:36 am)
Here's my take on your idea. I like the idea of going with realistic sci fi. However you might need to account for time differentials when dealing with FTL travel. The moment someone jumps into hyperspace they can say bye-bye to the family, city, army and planet they just left - as they knew it. By the time they jump back as little as 1 year could have past, but more likely it would be decades or centuries.
I think the only way to "lose" time is to skim a black hole, something Einstein was on about - I think! Of course you could incorporate this in the action in the game, or just make all ships to come installed with an automatic "find a black hole and fly past it for a bit" computer to eliminate that issue.
This doesn't lend itself nicely to a persistant world, and a long running campaign against the aliens. Better to use worm holes to fold space, which costs little or no time to get there.
On the plot-line, it's best to make it something about the human condition. Like for example, Aliens was about Ripley's displacement, loss of her family, desire to be a mother, protector of her child - that sort of thing - while the overall visual was about monsters, and kick-ass weapons tech, this was not the main plot - it was the environment in which the human drama was played out.
Find a human condition that is central to your story - because readers (for your novel) and players will look for where "they" are positioned in the game. Does the theme / plot of the game relate some how to the player?
For example you could explore the issues of solitude, the claustrophic nature of moving around in tin cans in space, the tyranny of distance and the diplacement of man - "What on Earth are we doing all the way out here, in the ass-end of the universe, trying to steal back a chunk of rock from some stinkin' aliens?" would be one of the character's perspective on things.
You could focus on one character, and make them an uninitiated traveller in this new time (like Farscape / Buck Rogers / Aliens ) so they player can relate to them. The storyline would focus on all the new things such a person would find wonderous in this time. This is essentially how you want the player to feel about the assets / levels / visuals you create for the game.
Good luck, sounds like fun to me :)
#13
But that would make a really good story, put in the right hands - with time-travel and all that good stuff, there'd really be some opportunity for crazy storylines.
The only problem is that these soldiers are only created about halfof the way through the plot, so the whole starting half you'll only see small glimpses of this theme.
01/07/2007 (12:37 pm)
That sounds like a pretty cool idea, but not one I want to explore within this universe. This is my hard-SF military universe ;)But that would make a really good story, put in the right hands - with time-travel and all that good stuff, there'd really be some opportunity for crazy storylines.
Quote:Find a human condition that is central to your story - because readers (for your novel) and players will look for where "they" are positioned in the game. Does the theme / plot of the game relate some how to the player?That's my one problem so far, I think. I'm just writing it for the plot, for now. But every story needs a theme, so I'll have to find one/. Probably the morality of the super-soldiers that I'm creating but haven't told you about yet. But basically, they're super-mega-omni-omgwtfpwnz0r soldiers. Okay, maybe not that good, but they're unlike anyhing you've seen before. Probably. But essentially, that means they can pwn anything they see, which gives them an awful lot of power.
The only problem is that these soldiers are only created about halfof the way through the plot, so the whole starting half you'll only see small glimpses of this theme.
#14
Don't confuse educated or scientifically advanced for civilized. The point is in ancient Egypt many people acted out of desire for wealth or power not respect or human decency. The strong and powerful took advantage of the weak and helpless. People were segregated and hated or repressed because of race and religion. How much more civilized are we today?
01/07/2007 (1:41 pm)
@Daniel, "But as for man being more civilised, it completely depends on your definition of civilisation. However, it is unarguable that people are more scientifically intelligent nowadays - did an average 15-year-old Egyptian know how to solve quadratic equations? Or even an average 15-year-old a hundred years ago?"Don't confuse educated or scientifically advanced for civilized. The point is in ancient Egypt many people acted out of desire for wealth or power not respect or human decency. The strong and powerful took advantage of the weak and helpless. People were segregated and hated or repressed because of race and religion. How much more civilized are we today?
#15
Well there's a great theme to deal with, "with awesome power, comes awesome responsibility", and the other one "absolute power, corrupts absolutely".
With the first theme take a look at the issues explored in Superman Returns, Batman Begins and Spiderman 2.
For the second theme, maybe their "kick-ass"edness is ultimately their downfall. A mechanised suit only protects a soldier if the powercell still works. The humans think they are so powerful, they forget about the little things, looking after each other, compassion, humainess, responsibility.
Your biggest theme to explore is "native title rights". The way the aliens got there first and then humans want to take it back reminds me a lot of the near extinction of American Indians, and Australian Aboriginals. Who has the right to do this? Who owns the "land"?
Just some ideas tho'
01/07/2007 (2:59 pm)
Quote:
But basically, they're super-mega-omni-omgwtfpwnz0r soldiers. Okay, maybe not that good, but they're unlike anyhing you've seen before.
Well there's a great theme to deal with, "with awesome power, comes awesome responsibility", and the other one "absolute power, corrupts absolutely".
With the first theme take a look at the issues explored in Superman Returns, Batman Begins and Spiderman 2.
For the second theme, maybe their "kick-ass"edness is ultimately their downfall. A mechanised suit only protects a soldier if the powercell still works. The humans think they are so powerful, they forget about the little things, looking after each other, compassion, humainess, responsibility.
Your biggest theme to explore is "native title rights". The way the aliens got there first and then humans want to take it back reminds me a lot of the near extinction of American Indians, and Australian Aboriginals. Who has the right to do this? Who owns the "land"?
Just some ideas tho'
#16
If we're so civilized, so intelligent today, tell me how they built the pyramids. There are theories, but they all have holes. Big ones. So much for the average 15 year old.
Society follows patterns. A civilization rises to power and is corrupted by that power. (Read A Canticle For Leibowitz for a good example of Sci-Fi that understands that fact). Always has been, only now, as never before, we've got weapons that will destroy the entire world if used.
Don't assume that mankind will grow up or get better. We're so depraved right now, and we're coming up with more ways to throw away morality. The piont of my ranting?
You want realistic sci-fi? Follow the human aspect of your story, rather than spending time on technology. That's the only realism that you'll find.
(Truthiness to the extreme...)
01/08/2007 (4:05 pm)
I don't know how to solve quadratic equations. Does that make me less than average?If we're so civilized, so intelligent today, tell me how they built the pyramids. There are theories, but they all have holes. Big ones. So much for the average 15 year old.
Society follows patterns. A civilization rises to power and is corrupted by that power. (Read A Canticle For Leibowitz for a good example of Sci-Fi that understands that fact). Always has been, only now, as never before, we've got weapons that will destroy the entire world if used.
Don't assume that mankind will grow up or get better. We're so depraved right now, and we're coming up with more ways to throw away morality. The piont of my ranting?
You want realistic sci-fi? Follow the human aspect of your story, rather than spending time on technology. That's the only realism that you'll find.
(Truthiness to the extreme...)
#17
01/08/2007 (4:12 pm)
Yeah that's what I'm saying too...
#18
01/08/2007 (10:59 pm)
Well then we must be right!
#19
Again, it's true that people are segragated today, but can you really say that it's worse than it was a hndred years ago? Even fifty years ago? (McCarthyism, etc.)
01/09/2007 (12:52 pm)
Quote:I don't know how to solve quadratic equations. Does that make me less than average?Not necessarily. But I think you get my point. I would bet almost anything that you are smarter intellectually than an ancient Egyptian of equivalent age.
Quote:If we're so civilized, so intelligent today, tell me how they built the pyramids. There are theories, but they all have holes. Big ones. So much for the average 15 year old.Aliens? It's true that they're an amazing feat of architecture, but I don;t doubt we could build something equally impressive today - if we weren't too smart to. I mean, what's the point? In the world today there is really no will to just build something impressive for the sake of it.
Quote:Don't assume that mankind will grow up or get better. We're so depraved right now, and we're coming up with more ways to throw away morality. The piont of my ranting?Well, we already have 'grown up and got better'. See below.
Quote:Don't confuse educated or scientifically advanced for civilized. The point is in ancient Egypt many people acted out of desire for wealth or power not respect or human decency. The strong and powerful took advantage of the weak and helpless. People were segregated and hated or repressed because of race and religion. How much more civilized are we today?No, that's true, civilised doesn't necessarily equate to technologically advanced. But in the meaning that you're implying, we are far more civilised. Would you have expected something like Unicef or one of the dozens of other similar organisations to exist back in ancient Egypt? Me neither. But they do today. That should speak for itself.
Again, it's true that people are segragated today, but can you really say that it's worse than it was a hndred years ago? Even fifty years ago? (McCarthyism, etc.)
#20
I don't know if I would agree with this, though from a modern technological standpoint, you would be correct. But even a peer-powerful biologist would have a lot of difficulty attempting to show how "intellectually smarter" he is than the average ancient Egyptian doctor. Plus the cultural mores of intellectualism are salient at best. Speaking with Greek philosopher kings about their philosophy from a modern standpoint would make one sound like a raving madman to them and perhaps make them rethink the divinity of madness.
Intellectualism is a moving marker that is saturated with context sensitivity, and while we like to present ourselves as gods over the barbarous ancients with their outmoded ideas (by our own ideas which will be outmoded in five hundred years), we are anything but. We are significant to our time, but the import that we ascribe to our significance may not have been ascribed should we suddenly be transported to another time where the functions of knowledge are vastly different (as are the cultural precepts of what is important knowledge).
01/09/2007 (1:09 pm)
Quote:Not necessarily. But I think you get my point. I would bet almost anything that you are smarter intellectually than an ancient Egyptian of equivalent age.
I don't know if I would agree with this, though from a modern technological standpoint, you would be correct. But even a peer-powerful biologist would have a lot of difficulty attempting to show how "intellectually smarter" he is than the average ancient Egyptian doctor. Plus the cultural mores of intellectualism are salient at best. Speaking with Greek philosopher kings about their philosophy from a modern standpoint would make one sound like a raving madman to them and perhaps make them rethink the divinity of madness.
Intellectualism is a moving marker that is saturated with context sensitivity, and while we like to present ourselves as gods over the barbarous ancients with their outmoded ideas (by our own ideas which will be outmoded in five hundred years), we are anything but. We are significant to our time, but the import that we ascribe to our significance may not have been ascribed should we suddenly be transported to another time where the functions of knowledge are vastly different (as are the cultural precepts of what is important knowledge).
Torque Owner Shiraz
The armour is interesting. From the way you describe it, you need to stop when people are shooting at you in order for it to harden. That could make for some weird situations. You can get caught in crossfire in an open field and the best thing to do is stand there and take it.
From your write up it does sound interesting and fun. I guess I'm just not seeing how the realism is applied, but the set up sounds good.
In answer to your Halo questions:
Why haven't humans developed better weapons yet? Because we can grab the enemy's weapons with having to do research or spend money.
Why haven't they thought of better tactics for their ground troops instead of going back to a WWII level? Better ground tactics would involve not using troops but it's not fun to watch robots wipe out your opponents while you idly stand there.
How the hell does Covenant plasma not evaporate in the atmosphere? Do you know what's in Covenant plasma? IST415 in it slows down the evaporation process.
Why are Covenant troops so incompetent? It Halo 2 at the tough setting they were very competent. Co-ordinated attacks, blowing my vehicle out from under me, etc. If they were really competent then around 5 or 10 of them should be able to take me out and which would you rather face over 10 hours of playing the game, 10 guys or a several hundred?
Why haven't we banned smoking yet? Because you're much more likely to die from enemy fire than lung cancer so what does it matter? ;-)