If you designed an FPS, what would it be like?

[beefprophet]

Don't shoot me for this, but wouoldn't it be awesome if you could take a third-person adventure game - like prototype or spiderman or whatever - only the superheroes were hurt by guns?

Think a third-person shooter, like Splinter Cell Conviction, Ghost Recon or Mass Effect, with taking cover and aiming mechanics.

In addition, each hero would have around 3 or 4 powers to complement their hero - think Mass Effect in terms of abilities.

Using that, you could choose an assortment of heroes and play the game your way.

You wanna run across rooftops and blast people at 50mph? You can do that.

You wanna hide behind cover, wait till a guy comes running across the rooftop and take him/her out with a quick snipe? You can do that too.

You wanna be an ultrapowerful killing machine that stomps through cover and squashes other players like the bugs they are? You can do that.

Now add in a freeroaming city environment ala Grand Theft Auto and the aforementioned Prototype and Spiderman and that would be my dream game.

 

[annoyinglizardvoice]

I'd make a game where the player controls an amazon mercenary who has been hired to fight against an invading army. Mostly bronze through to dark-age stuff with a bit of fantasy.
Weapons limited to a longbow, a shortbow (faster to use than the longbow and can be fired on the move more easily, but not as strong or long-range), a scalping-knife and a labrys for close-combat (labrys is slower and noisier but hits a lot harder and has a bit more reach) and possibly a repeating crossbow or some form of magic relic later on, but specialised arrows (grappling arrows for climbing, whistling arrows for distraction and the usual assortment of damage types) could be acquired.
Gameplay focussed around stealth and creativity over direct confrontation, with opportunities to set traps, create distractions and generally use the environment to your advantage. It would have distinct levels for the missions, but they can be explored and the tasks attempted in any way the player can manage. I was thinking something a little bit Thief-like, with elements of FarCry and Hexen. Possibly a few chariot-mounted rail-shooter levels for when the protagonist travels from one level to the next.

 

[Nouw]

Nice to see there's others out there who appreciate the classics. If I hadn't lost my CD key ages ago, I'd likely still be playing it online (if it's even still up and running online ).

I believe there are still fan servers up .

 

[Zeh Don]

The FPS I'd like to design is basically impossible with today's technology, but screw it - I think it would be awesome.

It's basically an Open World Survival FPS set in a vast metropolitan City. There'd be no friendly NPCs, just yourself against the invading Demon hordes. It would also support Co-Op.

Each day, a new enemy type would be introducted. Initially, just Zombies. Day 2, sprinting Zombies. Day 3, Imp Demons. Day 4, Spider Demons. And so on. As the days go on, more of Hell invades and the City starts to transform.
At the start of each day, you'd also "Level Up" and be able to increase one of a small number of skills - like "Running", "Pistols", "Barricade" (to move objects), etc.

And that's it.
The object is to survive for as long as possible. Every building can be entered, even object can be moved. Cars and such can be driven, but no planes or boats.

 

[Dragonpit]

After replaying through the nostalgia trip of Halo Anniversary, it made me think about if I was a game designer what kind of FPS would I design.

Plot - When an evil fast food conglomerate takes over the world, a group of ragtag twenty-somethings and a talking wise-cracking penguin take it upon themselves to save the world.

Gameplay:
- no cover mechanics
- no iron sight aiming
- gameplay consists of two primary styles to keep thing interesting
-running and gunning as the leader of the resistance and the penguin would be dual wield pistols (just go with it) and be used like the imp from The Darkness 2
-stealth sections about gathering intel or assassinating important bad guysin unique areas like monasteries, office buildings, military buildings, and a beach resort
- One rail shooter section in a hovercraft

If you designed an fps, what would it be like?

Uh huh...Personally, I'd refine that plot of yours a bit more. I'm not saying, "Make it more serious." It's just, I find that you can't stick random things together and expect it to be entertaining.

That said, let's back on topic. In my mind, cover mechanics can only make sense, simply because it's basic in using guns to shoot from behind cover, and iron sights are useful for long distance fights. I mean LONG distance. Almost sniper level. That said, if you're going to go for no cover, allow me to suggest the ability to target specific body parts. Shoot legs for reduced mobility, arms to reduce combat ability, groin for utter humiliation, and so on.

Two gameplay styles? You're going to have to better define that for me.

Guns and stealth do not get along unless you're shooting from another building, and even then. That said, I cannot think that FPS and stealth could work that well. Then again, I've been playing a lot of Batman: Arkham City lately. That said, throwing in stealth in there like that can only strike me as inconsistent.

Rail shooting? If you're going to include that, include it more than once. Otherwise, it's just in there for the sake of being there and nothing more, in which case, it's better to remove it. For me, to have a section like this actually seem meaningful, it would have to be in there at least three times.

For me, if it had to be an FPS, I would include a variety of guns. Sure, I'd have a shotgun in there, a rifle, maybe a couple of pistols, but I wouldn't stop there. A staple gun which I could pin enemies to walls, if I wasn't supposed to kill them or had to make them sit still for a little while. An air cannon for blasting back crowds. Maybe a gun that shoots swords or boxing gloves filled with bricks simply because why not make things interesting with some variety? Add some quick-change control for those weapons to make usage in battle easy. Throw in regenerating shields, but not health. You can even run if things get too hectic or you run low on ammo, allow the ability to hide in some cases (more environmental than anything else). Maybe I'd add some melee capability for the just-in-case eventuality. Nothing in-depth (it is a shooter, after all), just enough to give any player a chance in any situation, such as the ability to throw things, the ability to punch and kick, though I'd make the guns more effective than anything else in terms of damage.

Enemies would vary from stupid cannon fodder to truly intelligent fighters with varying capabilities. The fodder would swarm or use basic, weak guns, but they'd having excessive numbers. The more robust the opponent, the fewer they are. Bosses would of course be the creme of the crop, capable of summoning help and requiring inventive ways of using your weapons and surroundings to surmount them. One would have to be surprised for an opening, another would be overwhelming in terms of power and would have to be stunned or knocked down first. another would summon nothing but fodder to blast you back while a count down ticks towards the end.

Locations would have to vary. Inside an office building, an amusement park, a beach front, a shopping center...It would be difficult to tie all these into a story; that's kind of important, but with the right plot, it could be doable. (I haven't thought of one yet, but still...)

And while the guns would be varied and fun, the game wouldn't be just shooting stuff. Objectives would indeed vary and what you had to use would as well, but I wouldn't want to completely detract from the enjoyment factor of completely ruining enemies. So there could be escort missions (I'd allow you to literally pin down your escort target to a wall if you wanted while fighting, or allow them to fight as well, or even just have them hide or run through like an asylum inhabitant), collecting missions, 'no killing' missions, defeat certain enemies in a certain way...maybe I'll include a few vehicles as well, but I wouldn't put weapons on them; they, instead, would BE the weapons...

In any case, those are my thoughts. Looking back, I guess I opted for the no cover thing, but I don't regret it.

 

[RJ 17]

I believe there are still fan servers up .

Then I wish I hadn't lost my CD Key, because I'd definitely still be playing it to this day. I mean the game's just fucking awesome...with the exception of the Grenade Launcher and Smart Gun for the humans and the shoulder cannon for the Preds, it was probably the most well-balanced AvP game I've played.

And the single player gave us a story that we could actually be proud of as AvP fans. None of this "Enemy of my enemy" BS. It was deep (I especially like the little apendix pages and such at the beginning of each level) and all the campaigns were very nicely tied together, creating a solid time-line that can actually be followed. I've always said they should stop dicking around with these sub-par AvP movies and just make that game into a movie...I bet it'd be pretty sweet.

Probably the best kill I ever had in that game was blowing up an exosuit that was high-jumping around with my last remote bomb. Between having to lead the moving target, timing the jump, compensating for the bomb's trajectory always flying to the left, and the fact that the bomb detonates in mid-air if you don't have anything left, it was probably the luckiest kill ever. Sure enough I chucked my bomb and right as the exosuit reached to top of one of it's high jumps, the bomb auto-detonated right on top of it, blowing it to bits. Edit: I should say "right in front of it", as it wasn't a direct-impact explosion.

 

[Nouw]

I believe there are still fan servers up .

Then I wish I hadn't lost my CD Key, because I'd definitely still be playing it to this day. I mean the game's just fucking awesome...with the exception of the Grenade Launcher and Smart Gun for the humans and the shoulder cannon for the Preds, it was probably the most well-balanced AvP game I've played.

And the single player gave us a story that we could actually be proud of as AvP fans. None of this "Enemy of my enemy" BS. It was deep (I especially like the little apendix pages and such at the beginning of each level) and all the campaigns were very nicely tied together, creating a solid time-line that can actually be followed. I've always said they should stop dicking around with these sub-par AvP movies and just make that game into a movie...I bet it'd be pretty sweet.

Probably the best kill I ever had in that game was blowing up an exosuit that was high-jumping around with my last remote bomb. Between having to lead the moving target, timing the jump, compensating for the bomb's trajectory always flying to the left, and the fact that the bomb detonates in mid-air if you don't have anything left, it was probably the luckiest kill ever. Sure enough I chucked my bomb and right as the exosuit reached to top of one of it's high jumps, the bomb auto-detonated right on top of it, blowing it to bits. Edit: I should say "right in front of it", as it wasn't a direct-impact explosion.

While it's been a while, I absolutely adored the campaign. It was scary as hell and fun to play. They were really long too! All good in their own way. I suppose the Predator is sort of a middle ground character. You can be stealthy-melee or not-so-stealthy-but-still-a-little-stealthy-shooter . I wish there was a good AVP film but I suppose it'd be a little hard at first since they're quite different in style. Action b-movie vs a sci-fi horror.

Sounds like quite a kill. Exo-suits were incredible in that game. The last mission for the Marine is like a dream come true.

 

[MASTACHIEFPWN]

(Taken from the FPS i'm making)
-No over time healing. You need a medic or a med kit to heal.
-You don't die in 4 shots.
-Players are urged to work together, exploiting limits in everyone's playstyle, that can be bridged by avidly mixing play styles with others
-Large, open maps. Every playstyle has an equal chance on every map.
-Iron Sight/scope mechanics are very realistic, the first few bullets land DEAD ON to the signal in the center, Also, in a game that to an extent encourages speed, they severly slow you down (By about 80%, and moving still takes accuracy away), limits awarness, ect.
-In match buy systems, everyone starts out with the same amount of points, you have to buy weapons every new life, and points are given for eliminating enemies, completing objectives, and saving teammates. Weapon Add-ons are also purchased through this pool.

Captcha: Hard Cheese
Yes, plox.

 

[Frostbyte]

TF2+L4D

Literally the TF2 teams in L4D.

Yes. This. I don't really like L4D much, but I'd still play it anyway. Heavy, medic, solider, and pyro against the horde would be the best thing ever. Could someone make this a mod? Is it already a thing? If so, anyone got info?

 

[York_Beckett]

The Duke Nukem Forever Yahtzee described in his joke review. You can't honestly say you wouldn't want to play that.

 

[Folji]

It'd likely be a fast-paced adrenaline shooter that rewards you for taking risks and keeping on the move (i.e. don't dive for cover), set in a modern city with parkour as the main way of getting around.

So basically Mirror's Edge with more guns, or Brink with better manoeuvrability and a proper singleplayer campaign instead of a multiplayer with bots.

 

[SlaveNumber23]

Heavily stealth focused and very realistic to punish you for being seen by the enemy.

 

[SpAc3man]

Well seeing as I want to make a lot of moneys it would most likely follow this mindset:

Spoiler

 

[JoshuaMadoc]

You're a space janitor paid to do cleanup work in settlements, large and small. But unlike most janitors, you're specifically tasked to clean up dead, destroyed or slaughtered settlements. You will be heading into one of many of these dead settlements to begin another routine cleanup job. But while your machines do most of your physical labors, and you're organizing what little is left of the dead's belongings, there's still one other thing you're required and paid to do: You must use your necromantic powers to read and salvage the imprinted memories left behind by the corpses.

Unlike what the rumors, tell you, however, the settlement you're currently tasked to clean up, in actuality, isn't involved in a catastrophic event involving a bio-weapon or a portal to Hell or even an alien invasion. The settlement was really the unfortunate victim of a natural disaster that caused the surviving colonists to kill each other off as they become progressively more mentally unstable due to being deprived of any means to communicate or escape. You can tell, because the smell of lingering regret, pain, anguish, sorrow and hatred still remains. You feel obligated to put these former living to rest with your necromantic powers, even if it means using it to project the smell into an ethereal manifestation for you to destroy out of mercy using necromantic projected beams.

There are no zombies. There are no demons. There are no aliens. There's only you.

You, the nigh-pitch-blackness and silence of outer space, and the weeping ghosts of a single dead settlement. Accompanied by sad ambient music, of course.

 

[JoesshittyOs]

A more recent dinosaur hunting simulator. You go out in the wild, co op or not, and you hunt for dinosaurs. Perhaps in a ruined "Jurassic Park" type city/forest area.

I'd want to add a sort of barricade system for when a Velociraptor pack tries to attack you.

That, or a full on infection type MMO where you play as a survivor in an over run city of some sort of zombie like infection, except more of the game is focused around the survival aspect of teaming up with friends and looting places rather than fighting off hordes of infected things. The way I'm envisioning it is that people can sort of set up their own little survival cities and trading posts around as they game naturally progresses. Not focused entirely on gun play, though that certainly would be a big element.

If everything went how I'd imagine it in my mind, it would become more of a social experiment between everybody playing. Having a big penalty if you die which sort of helps you make the judgement of forming alliances with friends.

 

[Chairman Miaow]

It would basically be Oddworld: Stranger's Wrath. That game does EVERYTHING right. It needs more loving.

 

[Enslave_All_Elves]

not so much exactly what i would do overall, but some things I'd find interesting to see done...

- when you get shot and don't die, you're wounded. healing takes longer, requires a medic, and you will bleed out if you don't get help.

- Guts. I can fuck alien women in Mass Effect but I can't get gray matter splatter and some intestines falling out? Fuck the parents. If they were concerned about their kids they wouldn't be letting ones who are too young play violent stuff online with people who shout racial slurs all day. War should be shown for what it is i.e. disgusting.

- close combat that isn't relegated to a fucking knife animation (or if you're playing Call of Doody, a super 5 ft long ninja knife that kills with a wimpy slash). Why can't I just enter a room and jab someone in the throat with my gun barrel or something?

- More realistic locations. Furthermore, guns need to be unwieldy if they are too big for a hallway. There's a reason cops and military always want compact designs for indoors and it isn't to save space on their person for a bag of Sour Patch Kids.

- Stop making me jump over fucking everything. The average FPS character jumps more than half the NBA combined. While we're talking about more fluid movement, developers should just set a standard for how ladders function. Why is going down a ladder such a pain all the time? I can only assume that developers all suffer from a weird syndrome where attempting to go down a ladder results in leaping to their death inexplicably. Similarly why are hills I could easily climb also difficult to maneuver?

- Shotguns are always too weak these days. Sure armor will protect you from a round reasonably well but you're still going to be knocked on your ass.

- How does one aim while being shot? Please explain game developers. Battlefield 3 particularly pisses me off with this. I constantly put bursts into people only to have them turn and kill me. Recap: 3-6 bullets enter your body, you turn, aim, and kill the attacker. Sure. Ok. Stop rewarding dipshits who don't pay attention.

If I could choose any particular game concept though, I have an idea that incorporate tactical planning, stealth, and survival. A game where you are a partisan during World War 2 fighting Nazis. Build equipment, secure air drops from the OSS/SAS, smuggle people in/out, secure intelligence, plan ambushes, carry out assassinations, sabotage railroads and crash trains. It would be open world of course. The fighting would involve both outdoors forest/country type locations and urban warfare. Your attacks will result in civilians being killed in Nazi reprisals (in reality there was no saving them, but you should be able to for gameplay purposes). Flush double agents and moles out of your partisan group. Co-Op? Oh of course. You can't do this alone (probably). Add some skills to upgrade such as bomb making, or improved marksmanship etc. to create a better fascist hunter. It could be done.

 

[chuckdm]

also, there would be a mandatory dance mechanic.

I love this idea. I mean, for any multilayer FPS at all, whether it be MMO-sized or just MW3-sized, the idea of everyone's character doing an involuntary dance emote every 15 minutes sounds like it would be both awesome, and a genuinely good idea as well. People get really tense over these games sometimes and it would be helpful to have this break up the dead-seriousness every once in a while. Besides, as long as this is only a 3rd-person animation then it's not like it would effect gameplay (i.e. not first person because that would throw off everyone's aim...) Activision should add this to their servers ASAP. Seriously.

 

[Proto325]

The story-bit-that-you-don't-really-care-about (The important bits are in bold):

You play a scientist testing out a device (maybe a machine, maybe some kind of hat) of your own invention, designed to give you telekinesis (nobody else is stupid enough to let you mess about with their brain, and that Nobel Prize won't win itself). The process is suddenly interrupted when [villains] storm the lab, but they don't notice you (either because you're inside the machine, or you're just hiding somewhere). During your daring escape (aka the first level) you discover that the experiment was a success, but since it was interrupted it only works on very small objects. It's up to you to discover the extent of your powers, foil the [villains], and save the world.

The gameplay (or at least the main gimmick): You don't ever use guns. Instead, you use your newfound powers to fling any small projectiles you can find (including nails, metal spikes and beakers of acid, but not oil barrels, tanks or great danes) at you foes at high speed, and you have different ways of launching them them, ranging in rate of fire and power, so basically stand in for conventional weapons. The emphasis is on ammo rather than weapons; you can use any ammo with any 'weapon', but some combinations are more effective than others - metal spikes work better in sniper style than, for example, tennis balls, and those caltrops would be better used in shotgun mode than pistol.

 

[RJ 17]

Snip

As a Pred/Xeno player, I hated the exosuits. But good god do I miss that game. I can't tell you how many hours I spent stalking prey in that game. Verloc was always my favorite map, followed by the two Fate maps (predaliens can quite literally fly on those two maps :3)