telocaster said:
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.