Let's Talk - "How to Make a Proper FPS"

In the FPS (First Person Shooter) genre universe there are several different sub-genres. You have arena based shooters such as "Unreal Tournament 3", horror survival shooters such as "Doom", competitive shooters such as "Call of Duty", and even offline shooters just to name some. As a long time FPS fan it has come to my attention over the past several years that developers of these types of arcade style experiences have lost touch with what made them so great in the first place. The introduction of such things as larger maps, poorly executed spawning systems, and lag compensation have almost ruined the genre completely. Factor in the corporate greed of companies who want to take your money, and run with it while giving you a less than finished product, and you'll have a proper "coup de grace". As a gamer I want to think that there's hope for this genre, but the cold hard fact is that it's likely never going to see the golden years again. With the crowds that such games attract, and the type of developers who worm there way into the genre in order to make a killing off of doing much of nothing for the gamers I find that my feet are firmly planted in the reality that the FPS experiences of yesteryear are a long gone thing of the past.

You're probably asking yourself if I think the genre is doomed why did I title this article "How to Make a Proper FPS". The answer to that is simple. There's always been a right, and wrong way to make a game. While developers will likely tell you differently a person with the proper knowledge, funds, and know how could create the perfect FPS experience, or any game experience for that matter. In order to do that though you will have had to have lived, and breathed the genre for many years, and not just be in it to create something for a profit. I hear developers all across the board saying that they were a gamer, and that they know how to make a certain type of game properly due to their prior knowledge. If that was the case then we'd have a lot of good gaming experiences in the world today, wouldn't we? The fact of the matter is that money talks, and bullsh*t walks. The industry as a whole has become so greedy, and less innovative that gaming is a far cry from what it once was.

Getting back to the point though ... As an FPS gaming developer you have to think like a gamer. All the impressive graphics, massive terrain, and sh*t load of features can only get you so far. You also have to think about the several different aspects of gameplay, and have your version of the FPS tested thoroughly throughout the development phases, so that you and your team can work out any kinks in the process. Applying a console friendly Beta program would also be worlds of help. I've said it before, and I'll say it again. If you limit feedback to an account based website you are crippling any hopes of finding all the bugs before a game is released. Not every gamer wants to go through the trouble of signing up for a new forum, so they can send you the feedback that you need.

When it comes to in-game environmental construction you want to make things fair. None of the "larger is better" bullcrap will ever work out. If you put 'Team A' at one end of the map, and 'Team B' at the completely opposite end do you think they'll dare to cross the midsection of the map to face head on with their opponents? No. What will happen is that each team will stop just before the middle area of the map. They'll find a roosting area/vantage point at either side, and hope to hell that someone is stupid enough to cross into their territory. This could end in a stalemate, or as in the case of "Killzone: Shadow Fall" a team with expert snipers could drive the opposing team back home, and corner them at their home spawn. While there will be a definitive end game advantage in a game such as 'Killzone: Shadow Fall" the players who enjoy such games as "CoD: GHOSTS" will find that the winning factor comes in the form of a few lucky kills compliments of idiots who dare to run & gun.

Now let us talk about matchmaking. Matchmaking in a first person shooter is another major ingredient in making a successful FPS experience. In order to have fair gameplay in your FPS you MUST make it so that players aren't dropped into the middle, or end of a match. I fully understand that in games with fewer, or significantly more online players could pose a problem in the area of match joining, but there are ways around it. Say for example, you could program the game to only allow players into a pre-game lobby. While there would be a wait for some gamers I'm sure players would prefer the trade off. I know I would. The possible negative effects that come with starting off in mid-match, or even at the end of a match outweigh any positive situation that could come from getting put in there late. A gamers' hard earned k/d, or rank could be affected if they were killed more than they were able to kill when a match ended. Often times I get frustrated in "GHOSTS" when I'm dumped at the tail end of a match, and end up dying before I can get a kill. It's not fair to me, and it's not fair to the many other players who payed for a fair experience.

Lastly there's the lack of reporting, and banning options. I know that most of you think this responsibility should lie solely with the console makers, but I beg to differ. If the game developers would get off of their lazy duffs, and create a proper reward/punishment system for players then online as we know it would surely get better even if it were at a slow rate. Passing the buck off to a console maker such as Sony who could give a rats ass about your in-game complaints/strife is a fool proof plan for failure. Eventually gaming as we know it will die out if the online infrastructure associated with it fails to hold up to our expectations. One way to combat the threat, as I mentioned a few sentences earlier is to apply a reward, and punishment system. It's obvious that banning a gamer won't work as they can create as many accounts as they like.

If an FPS developer were to reward the non-cheating players with substantial benefits, and demote the players who lagswitch, cheat, or hack back to rank zero whenever they do so then you would nip the problem in the bud. With that being said though you'll find that with each game you release you'll need to supply three things including a proper replay capture, and upload feature as well as a supported website where gamers can send the said footage. I know that's a lot of work, and a lot of money to invest, but I assure you that if done properly you could attract a gaming crowd far greater than Infinity Ward, or Treyarch has ever seen. You, my developer friend would be the savior of a genre. Of course it goes without saying that your game would have to be good from the ground up.

What are people looking for in an FPS you ask? They are looking for a quick in, and out arcade style experience with ultra violent gameplay, awesome features, and a fairly delivered competitive experience. Not only that but a little "Offline" is always more than welcome. Throw in a quality story mode, or some bot oriented modes, and you're good to go. In terms of themes the sky is the limit. You could go steampunk, oldschool 1800's, futuristic, or even full-on fantasy. Be creative, and be innovative. Doing so will get you far. Also do not be afraid to invest your all in a product that you personally know was created solid from start to finish. As I said earlier have your team test each phase of development thoroughly, and add a proper console oriented Beta program with in-game reporting options. There's nothing like ease of access to a gamer who is willing to aid you in the development process.

I think I'm going to end it there. Feel free to take my advice, or not. In the end it'll not only be the gamers who will be hurting though. Quick money making schemes will only last for so long before the community catches on. Invest all, or invest nothing at all. That's my motto.

Your Last Samurai,
Brad (OtakuDante)