Valve: Modern Shooters "Pander" to Casual Gamers

[Hevva]

Valve: Modern Shooters "Pander" to Casual Gamers

According to its lead designer, Counter Strike: Global Offensive won't be as easy on you as its competitors are.

Valve, or at least the part of it responsible for Global Offensive, has a problem with modern FPS games. According to lead designer Ido Magal, many of them are too quick to "pander" to players who don't want to improve their skills to progress. Apparently, things will be a little different in Global Offensive.

In an interview with Official Xbox Magazine [http://www.oxm.co.uk/34492/valve-modern-shooters-pander-to-players-rather-than-helping-you-improve/], Magal said that, "A lot of shooters, instead of giving people encouragement to improve, will just pander to them never being better. And I kind of appreciate that but at the same time it can be demeaning to people who want to get better."

In line with this commitment to incentivizing improvement, the game won't feature some of the more modern features that many gamers have come to expect from FPS experiences. First and foremost, Call of Duty-style ironsights are out. "We don't say, Well we need iron sights because everyone else has iron sights," Magal continued. "If they could figure out a way for them to make sense, we'd add them, but right now we think iron sights just make people move slower because they'll be afraid to put their gun down."

Global Offensive will still include a variety of difficulties for players to choose from; "Casual" mode will make your life easier by deactivating the in-game currency system used to buy weapons and upgrades, while two modder-created hardcore modes [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/113232-Valve-Working-With-Modders-to-Create-New-Global-Offensive-Modes] will ramp up the difficulty for anyone who wants life to be a little harder. What this "encouragement to improve" will entail remains to be seen; while there must be gamers who wouldn't mind this game becoming the FPS Dark Souls, this development won't be welcomed by those who enjoy the odd quick, pandering spell of gameplay before they leave the house.

Counter Strike: Global Offensive will be released in 2012.


Source: Official Xbox Magazine [http://www.oxm.co.uk/34492/valve-modern-shooters-pander-to-players-rather-than-helping-you-improve/]




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[Woodsey]

"this development won't be welcomed by those who enjoy the odd quick, pandering spell of gameplay before they leave the house."

Oh well. (And its Counter-Strike, this isn't exactly an abnormal development for the series.)

I can name two games from this year right off the top of my head (Crysis 2 and DA2) who were decidedly average, because they tried to spread their legs to as wide an audience as possible.

There is a limit to the range of appeal any given game can have, and that's fine, because not everyone likes or wants the same bloody thing.

And I hope you're paying attention, Hitman: Absolution lead designers.

 

[Beryl77]

Pretty much what I expect a Counter-Strike game to be. I can't wait to try it out.

 

[octafish]

"this development won't be welcomed by those who enjoy the odd quick, pandering spell of gameplay before they leave the house."

Oh well.

I can name two games from this year right off the top of my head (Crysis 2 and DA2) who were decidedly average, because they tried to spread their legs to as wide an audience as possible.

There is a limit to the range of appeal any given game can have, and that's fine, because not everyone likes or wants the same bloody thing.

And I hope you're paying attention, Hitman: Absolution lead designers.

They are paying attention to the sales of Call of Duty games from all the evidence I've seen. Deus Ex: Human Resources proved that a game doesn't have to be dumb as dogshit to sell though, so maybe there is some hope.

I've got to say, I'm a casual gamer. I've got a job, wife, kids, the whole catastrophe, I only get a couple of hours to play games a week, and I like to experience as many games as I can. I also have diminishing reflexes that were not that crash hot in the first place. I still like to play challenging games, although I probably won't have time for Counter Strike as I'll be trying to re-learn how to fly a jet in BF3 for the next twelve months while getting most of my progress points from revives.

 

[Kargathia]

This is some very good news. Counter Strike just wouldn't be the same without a difficulty curve resembling Mount Everest.

 

[RA92]

Good to hear. While iron-sights are great for realistic shooters like OF, ArmA and RO, not every shooter needs 'em. I'm looking at you, DNF and Bulletstorm. The RMB can have so many other creative uses.

 

[AgentBJ09]

Makes me glad I still play Doom, Unreal Tournament, and Serious Sam. Those can actually challenge you.

 

[RA92]

Deus Ex: Human Resources

Man, planning to study BBA, gotta play that game!

 

[Adam Jensen_v1legacy]

crysis 2 spread em so far it ended up looking like and upside down V

Multiplayer was actually quite fun. Probably because I didn't have any expectations.

Anyway, I can't wait for a new CS game. I'm an avid CS 1.6 player. I used to play it professionally since CS 1.5 but I quit a few years ago. Now I play online. Not as much as I used too, but still more than any other FPS game. It's still the best FPS because you need some skills to play it with the best.

 

[Woodsey]

I can name two games from this year right off the top of my head (Crysis 2 and DA2) who were decidedly average, because they tried to spread their legs to as wide an audience as possible.

There is a limit to the range of appeal any given game can have, and that's fine, because not everyone likes or wants the same bloody thing.

I loved Crysis 2. I thought it was a really, really good shooter. Not the best, but I liked it.

Meanwhile, props to Valve for making their own game without pandering to the crowd but this sounds a little bit, I dunno, condescending toward people who play online shooters, don't you think?

Just a bit. Not much.

Have you played the first?

 

[4173]

Pander is such a loaded word. Hide your contempt a little bit better.



That said, it is nice when a company is willing to focus on something other than the largest market segment.

 

[w9496]

Makes me glad I still play Doom, Unreal Tournament, and Serious Sam. Those can actually challenge you.

Strange how all of the DOOM series remains tough after all of this time, ain't it?

OT: Casual shooters can be fun, but they're right about not encouraging improvement.

 

[GLo Jones]

All I can say, is thank you, Valve. Thank you.

 

[RA92]

I loved Crysis 2. I thought it was a really, really good shooter. Not the best, but I liked it.

You haven't played the first, have you? The sequel was a definite step-down in terms of both graphics and gameplay - a corridor shooter punctuated by arenas.

If you're on an XBox, don't miss out on the <url=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/111409-Crysis-Rumored-for-Xbox-360>console release.

 

[Turtleboy1017]

I loved introducing CS:S to my friends and watching them quit with exasperation after going 0-12 on a normal rotation map server.

Then I told them that it's actually kind of easier than 1.6.

 

[Mr. Omega]

1: Glad to see they aren't just playing follow the leader in terms of gameplay.

2: Team Fortress 2 handled difficulty just fine. If they handle it like that, there shouldn't be a problem. Here's hoping Valve doesn't decide to put an equivalent to crates in CS.

3: Ok, you're handling difficulty ok, now how about how the community perceives skill? Or the community in general? They expect everyone to be equal. Are you not as good as them? Expect to be called a fag by everyone who did better than you. Are you better than them? Expect to be called a fag by everyone you did better than. Use a weapon that you like but is considered under-powered? Expect to be called a noob for "not knowing the way the game works". Using a gun that is deemed "over-powered"? Expect to be called a noob because you are using a "***** weapon".

 

[teh_Canape]

Spoiler: considering most of today's FPSs, I find this appropriate