So, I've been looking at different styles of gameplay in FPS games not only mechanically but also with map layout and I wanted to see if there were more that I don't know of(which I'm sure there are).
So far I know of:
Mechanics:
Straferunning, Bunnyhopping, Rocket jumping
Slow lumbering, sprint disables weapon(COD)
New advanced movement like Titanfall
Levels:
Collecting keys for door to find the exit
Corridor shooter
Open landscape with a objective within it(original Crysis)
Open landscape with an endpoint, so you go through the map like the original Halo
Open world (Strife)
In and out objective like Descent with its reactors
Cinnamon bun layouts. Player gets all the freedom around the level without a dead end and has to work their way in. Some Duke3D maps were laid out like this (Duke Burger's a good obvious example)
and of course the old 90s tactical items and varied guns style of FPS that Heretic and Duke3D pioneered that hasn't really resurfaced much and seems largely ignored in revised "retro FPS" history. Duke3d's only really remembered for being babby's first boobs game and babbys first swear game to a certain generation etc missing the point on why i appreciated its design despite all the macho/sexism going on (which can be filtered out omg)
I like FPS games which deviate from the original concept every now and then, but generally, stay loyal to the basics, without unnecessary complications. For instance, at games, like Operation: Flashpoint, I felt that they pushed the realism too far. I never tried the Armed Assault series, but I heard/read that it suffers from the same thing several times. And a third example - Sztálin Subway 2. Just like in real life, evil Soviets are literally POURING on you in great numbers, they're smart enough NOT to advance on you, but rather wait in their hidey-hole so when you try to mince them, you get pelted in nanoseconds. Not to mention that bullets ricochet from hard surfaces - if you miscalculate your shots, some bullets can actually rebound back and kill you. And yes, missed enemy shots can still hit you if they shoot the wall/ceiling/floor the right angle. Needless to say, this made the game unplayable even on "Normal" skill.
Mechanics:
- Crawl mode without having to keep the "crouch" or "crawl" button pressed. It was featured in World War Zero, and proved to be very useful.
- Climbing rough surfaces, like ladders, and hanging from suitable ceilings
- Holding an object in hand, using it as a shield or weapon and such (featured in Return to castle Wolfenstein)
Levels:
- Classic levels (open doors, activate buttons, find keys, use the exit)
- Mission levels (fulfill a series of objectives to finish the level, with or without a provided exit)
- Bossfight levels (no ingenuity, just kill the boss/bosses to finish the level)
- Timed levels (the level is automatically completed when the time runs out)
- Defense levels (protect something/someone until all enemies are killed/timer runs out to finish the level)
- Vehicle levels
- Puzzle levels (player has to solve riddles and puzzles to reach the exit, features little to no enemies)
- Secret levels
- Bonus levels
- Challenge levels (finish the level WITHOUT any additional health restores, or WITHOUT any weapons and ammo)
- Joke levels (usually hidden stages with some crazy unique theme, like the Wolfenstein 3D "Pac-man" stage)
I love realism myself, which is why I love the FPS viewpoint, but it's just impractical for a game to be too realistic. It works against the whole point of having fun. Even if we reach the point of a holodeck or the matrix, it will always be better to let the player have the overall upper hand.
There will definitely be more spins and expansions on the tried and tested, but it's technology itself that limits what we can do in an FPS game. Things like watching a comrade pull you up from an otherwise certain fall still look weird, as these are camera movements on a stationary screen, not a human head. I don't think we'll ever get it right until we have full immersion.
Here's another: Nostalgia levels! Just look at the latest Wolfenstein thread. And don't forget DooM II's own level 31!
leileilol wrote:Cinnamon bun layouts. Player gets all the freedom around the level without a dead end and has to work their way in. Some Duke3D maps were laid out like this (Duke Burger's a good obvious example)
That's a very interesting one... I haven't played Duke3D yet, but I'm planning on doing so soon. Gonna keep an eye out for Duke Burger's layout .
Reactor wrote:Not to mention that bullets ricochet from hard surfaces - if you miscalculate your shots, some bullets can actually rebound back and kill you. And yes, missed enemy shots can still hit you if they shoot the wall/ceiling/floor the right angle.
Sounds like tons of fun to recreate in GZDoom, gonna have to try now
Reactor wrote:
Mechanics:
- Holding an object in hand, using it as a shield or weapon and such (featured in Return to castle Wolfenstein)
Levels:
- Defense levels (protect something/someone until all enemies are killed/timer runs out to finish the level)
- Puzzle levels (player has to solve riddles and puzzles to reach the exit, features little to no enemies)
Haven't played Return to Castle Wolfenstein, gonna look it up.
Forgot about defensive levels, could be cool to break up gameplay. Puzzle levels would be really interesting...
Naniyue wrote:Things like watching a comrade pull you up from an otherwise certain fall still look weird, as these are camera movements on a stationary screen, not a human head.
Yeah, I've been trying to find that "right" position where it seems right but isn't too distorting.
Thanks guys!
Well, historically, the Soviets' favorized method of attacking was to overpower the enemy with their sheer numbers, saying "they can't kill EVERYONE, can they?"
Well, historically, the Soviets' favorized method of attacking was to overpower the enemy with their sheer numbers, saying "they can't kill EVERYONE, can they?"
Basically"we have more bodies than you have bullets"
Well, historically, the Soviets' favorized method of attacking was to overpower the enemy with their sheer numbers, saying "they can't kill EVERYONE, can they?"
Basically"we have more bodies than you have bullets"
Historically, this also applied to the Soviets themselves, i.e. "We have more bodies than WE have bullets!"
You forget the turret-type enemies,Vaecirus Can't move, and usually won't react until the player is in their sight. They're also highly popular in many types of games.
That's not a really substantive difference though - a turret is basically just the same enemy but it doesn't move. An imp on a pillar is a lot more different from a chaingunner on a pillar in terms of how you interact with it, than an imp on a pillar versus an imp on a catwalk.
Being blunt with you, Titanfall's advanced movement system kinda loses its novelty after a while. The ability to immediately take off 10 feet into the air means that the ground below you may as well not exist, and maps essentially become a series of interconnected wall running paths. That's not to say the idea is inherently flawed, it just needed a lot more refinement.
Doom 2016, in my honest opinion, has some of the most enjoyable movement mechanics in a game. It's all about staying on the move, never getting comfortable in one spot lest you get flanked, and using your double jump and other movement abilities to quickly traverse the area and reach power positions. The maps in Doom 2016 play a lot like a series of compact Quake deathmatch arenas.
essentially become a series of interconnected wall running paths
Only marginally related, but now I kinda want a Quake-style FPS where your "down" is always your nearest wall, so you could be evading shots or attacking from virtually any direction from targets potentially standing on any surface.
Matt wrote:Only marginally related, but now I kinda want a Quake-style FPS where your "down" is always your nearest wall, so you could be evading shots or attacking from virtually any direction from targets potentially standing on any surface.
One motion sickness warning later, we'd have a title that actually deserves the term "innovative"!
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Can't move, and usually won't react until the player is in their sight. They're also highly popular in many types of games.
