How can FPS games be more realistic yet still be fun?

[Mr. Moose]

Since no-one can agree on what level of realism the average FPS should have, why not go with Zombies?
Make a zombie game, make it uber-realistic, and them sell it.
Realistic ripping of flesh when bitten, decaying bodies.

Pretty much it would just be Left 4 Dead if it looked like a Zombie film

 

[Eldritch Warlord]

I got plenty of ideas. You want to have such things as the crosshair and resistance to damage to keep the game fun so you put it in a sci-fi setting. Power armor with shields and a HUD accomplishes that.

There's more but I plan to use them later, company secrets and all that.

 

[Flour]

What part of realism would be fun?

Weapon jam will only happen to you in single player [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/TheComputerIsACheatingBastard], and in multiplayer it's as bad as running in to an enemy when you're reloading.
A bleeding system will means you can't take any hit, especially when a medic is nowhere to be seen, or is already dead [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ShootTheMedicFirst].(and how many people are NOT assholes when playing a medic in a public game?)
A shot/disable system removes all the fun for anybody that doesn't want to play stealthy.

First Person shooters are IMO at the point where any change will make them worse. Or rather, it will completely upset the balance that's usually in a game.

I got plenty of ideas. You want to have such things as the crosshair and resistance to damage to keep the game fun so you put it in a sci-fi setting. Power armor with shields and a HUD accomplishes that.

There's more but I plan to use them later, company secrets and all that.

Yeah, lets make every game a Halo clone.

 

[Eldritch Warlord]

I got plenty of ideas. You want to have such things as the crosshair and resistance to damage to keep the game fun so you put it in a sci-fi setting. Power armor with shields and a HUD accomplishes that.

There's more but I plan to use them later, company secrets and all that.

Yeah, lets make every game a Halo clone.

What? I said if you want realistic and fun you gotta account for the unrealisms that make shooters fun. It's not my fault that Halo happens to do just that (for the part of armor and shields).

 

[Uszi]

I think we need several one hit kill areas, not just the head. Heart, lungs, kidneys, brain. Then give bloodloss rather than hp damage. Different weapons make diffent kinds of wounds that bleed more or less. Health packs would just stop the bleeding, not heal the damage.

Lungs wouldn't be a one hit kill. Quite a disable though.
Kidneys I'm not sure about.

 

[mark_n_b]

You don't. Reality is not conducive to good game-play. More FPS developers need to realize this and break out of the realism box. Nobody wants reality in a FPS anyway, they want a cartoony exaggerated experience. A shooter that emulated the reality of actually killing a person would not appeal, there's a reason we dislike killing people, something contrary to our nature cannot be marketed.

 

[ElArabDeMagnifico]

After playing SWAT4 and Red Orchestra, I know it's possible.

Lets wait and see how Far Cry 2 turns out. I don't want to deal in absolutes just yet, this one is supposed to be "as real as it gets" and if it sucks, then I think we have our answer.

 

[Spartan Bannana]

I still think games are fun after realism I don't see everybody elses problem with it

 

[Slycne]

The original poster is asking for ideas that can make a game more realistic, but yet still be fun. I think we all understand that too much realism can make a game less than enjoyable, but there are aspects of realism that can enhance a game play.

Classic example would be destructible environments. Who hasn't been frustrated by the locked wooden gate somehow being able to withstand the firepower to bring down a rage beast of hell spawn. Yes my rocket launcher should be able to knock that puny gate into the next county and that realistic, but it also increases my enjoyment of the game.

I would love to see more realism in sounds. Very few games get gun fire right. Gun fire sounds different depending on if it's being fired at you or not. If you hear popping noises you are good. If you start hearing cracks hit the dirt. Sound can make for a truly immersive experience and I think for the most part developers put it off to the side.

 

[PedroSteckecilo]

I could see an ultrarealistic multiplayer FPS being fun, but I just can't see ultra realism working as well in a Single Player game, since, whenever you die in a Single Player game, it's a road block, not a fun factor (except in Planescape Torment, but that's not realistic now is it), hence frequent death is not desirable.

For a single player game I would say that a focus on realistic combat tactics and a realistic injury system (limping, blinding, disabled arms, bleedouts) and a simplistic healing system (you just need to get to a medic/health kit etc to fix yourself up) would be a workable combination, since needing to find 10 different healing items to heal each type of injury is tedious, not fun. As well being able to fire through walls, having ricochets, long reload times etc. are all a necessity. As well I would like to see climbing be an option for once, and you really shouldn't be able to "jump" since in RL nobody jumps, you can't jump very high, you step over, leap up, or hop over, rarely do you jump, hence a "jump" button is irrelevant.

 

[Jolly Madness]

What's wrong with unrealistic games? Sometimes it just gets too serious and stops being fun, Painkiller's got a great health-system (FOrce Unleashe copied it, shame on them) and it never stops being fun slaughtering cyber-ninjas with your over-dimensioned shotgun.

 

[Alone Disciple]

I'd like to start a discussion on this subject, since I've looked at the "FPS Cliches" I've been wondering how you make a game more realistic, yet still fun.

Invite me over to your house.

I'll sit behind you as you play CoD4 and throw things at you and insult you as I drink.

Perhaps it will be more fun for me, but at least present you with a real life challenge as well.

 

[WhiteFangofWhoa]

Allow for body part-specific damage. A shot to the leg means no more use of that leg, same for arms or waist (no crouching). There are few things I can think of that would inspire more bragging rights than capping someone while limited to no legs and one arm.

This may be considered unrealistic to some, since many, MANY soldiers in the world wars died without knowing, but include bullet trails that become visible when you die. Less irritation if you know where they were, easier to learn when not to expose yourself, and alternately fewer cries of 'haxorz' and a very obvious way to tell when someone's shooting through walls. In the case of humans vs. AI maybe even include some way of knowing when an enemy soldier is alerted and actively looking for you, and when he's given up.

No more nano-regeneration. Any healing you get would be from the slow, time-consuming use of a medkit that leaves you defenseless unless someone's kindly using it on you while you cover them.

There's a time for unrealistic and realistic and they're both fun. Choose one or the other, not both.