Complexity in FPS games

[General Ludd]

Originally posted by Solver
The standard is actually Doom.

Only for the low brow games like that one where you're a german turret gunner in WW2 mowing down soldiers as they land on the beach.

[General Ludd]

Originally posted by DrSpike
Well HL most would consider as having diverse enough weapons and fire modes. I haven't seen anyone advocate many more.

The more the merrier as far as I'm concerned.


As long as they all have logical and reasonable differences, of course.

[:) Smiley]

Many weapon choices are a must for multiplayer. Linear maps are fine for single player though

[Jaguar]

The "complexity" of the levels, weapons, etc is not important. The complexity of the AIs is. In early FPS games, the AIs would basically just shoot at you once they saw you, without any dodging for cover, reactions to what you do, etc.

If you take the AIs from more recent games, they're more interesting. Halo's grunts, for example, are cowardly, and retreat if you hurt them or if their leader is killed. Elites are pretty fearless until their shields are taken down, and then they hide for cover until they're safe again. The different characteristics of the enemies makes it fun to fight them in different numbers and environments.

[Solver]

AI... yes, that's always important in any game. The first precedent for a good AI in FPS goes again, I believe, to Half-Life. There the marines were intelligent enough to take cover, duck when grenades were incoming, work in groups and coordinate fire, try to flank you, retreat and attempt and ambush or simply wait instead of running at you.

[General Ludd]

What good is AI in multiplayer?


What good is a FPS without multiplayer?

[Solver]

What good are different FPS for multiplayer? Quake 2 was released with its classic Deathmatch, why bother with any other game if you want the same unoriginal DM?

[General Ludd]

Why bother with any other game? Because Quake 2 sucked. And death matches are about as boring as playing through the single player game repeatadly.

That's why people play the Half-Life mods isntead.

[Solver]

That's something I still can't understand, despite having tried to. Deathmatch just never seemed fun to me. Maybe because deaths happen often there, you don't go alive for 10 minutes, no feeling of becoming better and stronger. I've played through single-player campaigns of some astounding games numerous times, but deathmatch...

[child of Thor]

Is Halo regaurded as an FPS in this case?
I think for me its the atmosphere in an FPS type game i like the most.
Maybe because its simply the graphical perspective of 'being there'? I never got into quake because i found the atmosphere in HL drew me into the game more.
Makes me enjoy Ghost Recon too - its easy to put yourself into 'realism' shoes - real guns, pretty real atmosphere - fun FPS type game.

Doom3 i dont know about, but at the time the origonal Doom was king of atmosphere looking at it now its hard to believe

I've heard good things about Metroid Prime, but that is also described as an adventure game?

[Solver]

Actually, I think that the original Doom still compares favorably with most FPS games!

[child of Thor]

gameplay wise i agree, but graphicaly - well its like cinderellas two other sisters
And it is the graphics i guess that give Doom3 much of its atmosphere?

[Solver]

Doom3's atmosphere comes from graphics... largely, but equally so from sound and the very clever level design. Doom3 graphics are so good that I feel absolutely immersed after 15 minutes playing. I don't care for graphics as much as gameplay though... so I'd pick Doom2 over most FPS games prior to Doom3, because the graphics on other FPS were just better. But not to the level of Doom3 where they look real.

[Adagio]

Originally posted by Solver
Doom3's (...) and the very clever level design.

Doom 3's level design is far from clever. It just feels like you're in the same room all the time

[Solver]

Have we been playing different games? Each section had a different feel to it, and the design was especially clever in how you were going along the one and only path without the bad feeling that you're led along that path... levels were intense, with good atmosphere, great detail... I honestly think it's a prime example of designing indoors levels.