View Full Version : Need opinions or ideas
I work with a budding indie dev group known as Quarantine studios. my job is concept art/VP/game design.
what I asking is this: what do you want to see in an FPS?
what pisses you off about current ones (can't see my frigging feet)?
do you believe in cut-scenes or segments where NPC's talk and you listen?
what does your ideal game consist of?
how important is story to you?
understand that i take this seriously, and I believe that the player input during production helps enormously (look at TDSH V1.1, if we ever get to play it), and last but not least, i believe you on this forum are the kind of people i wish more forum users were like.
the_Fifth_Horseman
07-12-2009, 10:56
what I asking is this: what do you want to see in an FPS?
FPS games are action-focused, so having a look at how various action movies (and adventure movies too) work may be handy.
what pisses you off about current ones (can't see my frigging feet)?
Lack of realism, most often.
I mean, health bar? LULZ.
I could understand if it was about bleeding. But you have to accept that in real world getting shot in certain bits can and WILL kill you outright. The closest most FPS ever come to it are headshots, and that's WAY too little. Oh yes, and jumping from three stories will give you nice open fractures in your legs... not allow you to come running from that fall.
So perhaps putting some more realistic emphasis on armour protection and the player's health would be a good idea.
Most FPS nowadays set before the players one-track puzzles - most of the time there is only one way to get past certain points of the game even though realistically there should be more options.
EG. The player's way leads him across some kind of water tank. The catwalk that would allow him to pass on the other side has collapsed, and the water itself is electrified.
The player should be able to solve it in more than one way:
1. Find a means to swim to the other side without exposing himself to the water
2. Cutting the power to that area
3. Find a different route that bypasses this area entirely
And the most obvious solution should always result in some kind of complication further down the line (eg a lift won't work if you cut the power and you'll have to go down a heavily guarded staircase)
Oh yes.
And make sure you don't use invisible walls. :p
do you believe in cut-scenes or segments where NPC's talk and you listen?
No. I believe in interactive cutscenes or segments where I can actually choose what to say to the NPC's talk. This increases the player's immersion into the game and makes them feel that they actually have something to say about the direction the plot develops - no matter how ilusoric that feeling is.
what does your ideal game consist of?
Multiple ways to tackle problems, and ability to affect the direction of the plot (if only a little)
how important is story to you?
VERY. Granted, there is something deeply satisfying with just running and shooting everything you run across, but that does not guarantee the player will stick around to see how the game ends.
For that, you need a story - one that the player will be only partially aware of at the beginning, and new elements of which will gradually come to light as the game progresses. Preferably with a few twists on the way, and avoiding use of cliches.
understand that i take this seriously, and I believe that the player input during production helps enormously (look at TDSH V1.1, if we ever get to play it), and last but not least, i believe you on this forum are the kind of people i wish more forum users were like.
Perhaps - just perhaps - you may find additional input at the reloaded.org forums.
I work with a budding indie dev group known as Quarantine studios. my job is concept art/VP/game design.
what I asking is this: what do you want to see in an FPS?
what pisses you off about current ones (can't see my frigging feet)?
do you believe in cut-scenes or segments where NPC's talk and you listen?
what does your ideal game consist of?
how important is story to you?
understand that i take this seriously, and I believe that the player input during production helps enormously (look at TDSH V1.1, if we ever get to play it), and last but not least, i believe you on this forum are the kind of people i wish more forum users were like.
Honestly, I could probably come up with a few things. Horseman got some very valid points.
BUT, don't even think of collecting feedback before you got a working engine covering the basics (i.e. walking/running/jumping, shooting/slashing). Once you got that you can start tweaking it with reality settings (low health/high damage value for weapons, no jumping and shooting at the same time, no running and shooting at all for that matter and so forth).
99% of all ambitious projects are never completed. Start small and build your project incrementally. Make sure that you get something up and running ASAP as it will give you new strength to build upon it rather than becoming overwhelmed by the sheer complexity and monumental task of building a truely realistic FPS.
Heck, start with something like Doom using an available 3D engine. Once you've got that and STILL want to build upon it further, we'll drown you in ideas and wishes. :D
alex3337
07-12-2009, 14:16
I won't be able to help you there ... I have never quite enjoyed FPS. I prefer board turn-based games, like TDSH. I even played the PC version of SH from the board view for the most part, finding the FPS view more annoying than
entertaining.
I also enjoyed The eye of the beholder, not quite a FPS, but a first person view ... I did try Doom, Quake, and Descent ... none of them got my attention.
Please,PLEASE,just don't do like some other games where ALL the missions are based on "route is blocked,find another way",there must be more ways of separating teammates from you and that kind of stuff without having to use that same thing over and over again...(example: you are walking in a tunnel with your teammates after trying to reach them for 10 missions,and right at the end of the tunnel...*BAM!*,the tunnel has misterously collapsed for no apparent reason!,you have to take an alternate way through a billion enemies!).
Seriously,it feels a little repetitive when you can PREDICT when that is going to happen in ANY game...
Besides that,and the "you can't see your own body" deal (which is "fixed" in almost all recent games anyway) and realism,I have no problems with modern FPS's,most of them have a decent story,better than killing the bad guys for no reason,and I definetely enjoy them more than old FPS's without any story at all.
Also,like it was said before,more freedom would be good,at least 3 different options for dealing with a situation should be avaliable.
Uhm,that's it for the moment,I'll be more specific when you have a good engine up and running live DevL said :P
I won't be able to help you there ... I have never quite enjoyed FPS. I prefer board turn-based games, like TDSH. I even played the PC version of SH from the board view for the most part, finding the FPS view more annoying than
entertaining.
I also enjoyed The eye of the beholder, not quite a FPS, but a first person view ... I did try Doom, Quake, and Descent ... none of them got my attention.
try Half Life 2.
oh, and I have considered RTS/ turn based games in this universe I've created so far.
Please,PLEASE,just don't do like some other games where ALL the missions are based on "route is blocked,find another way",there must be more ways of separating teammates from you and that kind of stuff without having to use that same thing over and over again...(example: you are walking in a tunnel with your teammates after trying to reach them for 10 missions,and right at the end of the tunnel...*BAM!*,the tunnel has misterously collapsed for no apparent reason!,you have to take an alternate way through a billion enemies!).
Seriously,it feels a little repetitive when you can PREDICT when that is going to happen in ANY game...
Besides that,and the "you can't see your own body" deal (which is "fixed" in almost all recent games anyway) and realism,I have no problems with modern FPS's,most of them have a decent story,better than killing the bad guys for no reason,and I definetely enjoy them more than old FPS's without any story at all.
Also,like it was said before,more freedom would be good,at least 3 different options for dealing with a situation should be avaliable.
Uhm,that's it for the moment,I'll be more specific when you have a good engine up and running live DevL said :P
well, in what i have planned, you are with a squad for a fair amount of time. and as far as story, let me just say it's a bit more high brow than the usual shooter fare.
here goes:johndoe:
set in the year 2512, humanity has expanded to a good chunk of our galaxy.
the current political rule is a sort of socialist-democracy called the United Territories, due to the recent unification wars and said territories being seperate human colonial groups dating back to 2307.
we have recently met an alien race called the He'jiit (not that involved in what's going on in story, thankfully) with whom we've set up trade and other agreements. think of these guys as looking like a mix of elites, turians, and tau.
our military is divided into a few er, divisions. first up is army. the usual foot slogging infantry, main purpose is holding territory and being a primary defense force. next are the marines. these guys are somewhat similar to, well, it's tough to say, since my design for them is kinda unique ;). their job is assault and shock tactics. they are fitted with neural links to their armour, in order to allow for certain features of the armour. third up is the space corps. they are the futuristic equivalent of both the navy and air force. nuff said. last is Blackwing. they are a bit like a mix of sam fisher, vindicare assassins, and all the other stealthly tech ninja badasses you know. they work as a top secret cell, the kind that the current human leader doesn't know about, but other officials do. they are assassins and spies primarily, but have other roles as well.
you, the player, will assume the role of UTMC liutenant Johnathan Helbrecht. you are sent on a mission to investigate why an important weapons research facility has fallen silent. along with your squad, a he'jiit black ops soldier and Blackwing telepath are sent along, the he'jiit in order for him to get a feel of human tactics, the telepath sent as part of a psychic soldier experiment.
as it so happens, the facility has been overrun by a religiously driven terrorist group known as Messiah's Children. the group is dedicated to overthrowing what they believe to be a corrupt and soon to be authoritarian government.
you know the rest, I think.
of course, i have left certain details out on purpose, because those are really good, and i have already said too much as it is. believe me, if you were to hear these other bits, you'd be reminded of HL2, 40k, the russian proletariat revolutions, and others.:knowledge:
as for the engine, we are trying to get a hold of valve, since we live in the same city as them. key word is trying.
there is also a lot of political stuff going on, such as government reforms and usual knife in the back treaty breaches.
Sounds good,like you said,it reminds me of 40k and hl2 and many typical science-fiction novels,but you have an unique universe and story. As long as you don't copy any parts of the setting directly from any other game/novel,it could be quite original.
Valve usually doesn't have any problems with people using their source engine for making new games,as long as you have a clear project in mind and a good development team (with previous experience),you could probably make a deal with them.
Sgt Azrael
07-14-2009, 12:36
what platforms are you shooting for
Dawnreaver
07-15-2009, 04:51
Like the concept and originality (blackwing perfect name for stealth ops) sounds like a game i would play for quite some time even if it gets old.
As for fps in general Horsemans got the right idea being able to solve a problem in diverse and creative ways allows players to do things there way.
Health and armor concept is a nice point to for instance in halo 2 if you ran out of shielding you took two hits and your dead what is that fancy armor made of, aluminum?:cursing:
Something else to consider is destrutible terrain why go around when you can go through it.
And last being able to interact with NPC's and make changes to the course of the game really allows people to make their own custom path. On a side note make the main character talk the dude from half life never speaking with all the crazyness going on was just wierd.:huh:
Sgt Azrael
07-15-2009, 16:55
and not just talking in cutscenes
Like the concept and originality (blackwing perfect name for stealth ops) sounds like a game i would play for quite some time even if it gets old.
As for fps in general Horsemans got the right idea being able to solve a problem in diverse and creative ways allows players to do things there way.
Health and armor concept is a nice point to for instance in halo 2 if you ran out of shielding you took two hits and your dead what is that fancy armor made of, aluminum?:cursing:
Something else to consider is destrutible terrain why go around when you can go through it.
And last being able to interact with NPC's and make changes to the course of the game really allows people to make their own custom path. On a side note make the main character talk the dude from half life never speaking with all the crazyness going on was just wierd.:huh:
actually, the guy from half life doesn't talk because it's supposed to make you feel more immersed, so you feel like you are gordon freeman.
what platforms are you shooting for
PC is our focus, and pat and i have both decided that if we were to develop on an actual console, we'd prefer PS3, for the sake of processing power.
Sgt Azrael
07-16-2009, 05:14
sweet cause my own pc struggles making cupcakes let alone a shooter and i happen to have a PS3 how bout a moral choice system the fifth horseman suggested a problem with a few solutions that could change shit down the line so one of the choices would be good neutral or bad i.e.:you come across a room of civilians choice 1 try to extract them this would involve backtracking and slow the mission choice 2 **** them ive got a mission to do i dont need this shit choice 3 kill them so they never knew you were there as the fifth horseman said this would change shit down the line not in those words tho
the_Fifth_Horseman
07-16-2009, 06:55
The problem with moral choices is that they cannot be truly good or truly bad. :p
The plot would have to give the player a legitimate reason for killing them... or at least one that appeared legitimate. :p
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