What makes a good F.P.S

[Snotnarok]

Your list is confusing, you say things should change like basic controls. What would you change WASD to? It was once the arrow keys and then it moved to WASD when things got more complicated.

Personally, I've always used the arrow keys. "WASD" feels so strange to me. Generally, how I have things set up goes as Arrow Keys to move, Ctrl to jump, Right Shift to crouch, Mouse to aim/turn, Left-Click to fire and Right-Click for alternate fire. Other games will require other keys, like I might use "R" to reload and either "E" or "Enter" for interactive actions. It's a system that can work. Just... whatever it is you're used to. But it can work out. I've been configuring controls on PC for years, so, I can often figure out pretty quickly what would work for me. But, I can see why some people might use something like the WASD System, instead.

Ease of use? Minimal control remapping? haha Yeah your set up sounds a bit clunky but if it works for you? Who am I to say it's crazy!

 

[Owyn_Merrilin]

Your list is confusing, you say things should change like basic controls. What would you change WASD to? It was once the arrow keys and then it moved to WASD when things got more complicated.

Personally, I've always used the arrow keys. "WASD" feels so strange to me. Generally, how I have things set up goes as Arrow Keys to move, Ctrl to jump, Right Shift to crouch, Mouse to aim/turn, Left-Click to fire and Right-Click for alternate fire. Other games will require other keys, like I might use "R" to reload and either "E" or "Enter" for interactive actions. It's a system that can work. Just... whatever it is you're used to. But it can work out. I've been configuring controls on PC for years, so, I can often figure out pretty quickly what would work for me. But, I can see why some people might use something like the WASD System, instead.

Ease of use? Minimal control remapping? haha Yeah your set up sounds a bit clunky but if it works for you? Who am I to say it's crazy!

I'm trying to picture how he does weapon switching. I guess he could use the num pad, but that could range from awkward to impossible depending on the keyboard. Using the mousewheel is generally a bad idea in multiplayer unless it's something like Battlefront II, where you have so few weapons that it's literally nothing but a toggle switch to begin with. Also, r and e are nowhere near the arrow keys; part of the reason WASD took off is you could press those buttons and your movement buttons without taking your movement hand off the arrow keys or your aiming hand off the mouse.

OT: Asking for a checklist of what makes a good FPS is like asking for a checklist of what makes a good movie; not only is it too broad of a question, but we're talking about an end product that has a lot of intangible parts to it. If you could have a checklist like that, the remake of Psycho would be just as well remembered as the original, instead of an example of why shot for shot remakes still aren't quite the same as the real deal.

Also, FPS is not a subgenre of videogames; it's its own genre. Take it from a metalhead; subgenres come into play when you're trying to explain what makes Battlefield different from CoD[footnote]Contrary to popular belief, the two series have very little in common beyond a setting and some half hearted pretensions to realism.[/footnote], or what makes both of them different from Unreal Tournament.

 

[Lugbzurg]

I'm trying to picture how he does weapon switching. I guess he could use the num pad, but that could range from awkward to impossible depending on the keyboard. Using the mousewheel is generally a bad idea in multiplayer unless it's something like Battlefront II, where you have so few weapons that it's literally nothing but a toggle switch to begin with. Also, r and e are nowhere near the arrow keys; part of the reason WASD took off is you could press those buttons and your movement buttons without taking your movement hand off the arrow keys or your aiming hand off the mouse.

Generally, I actually just scroll with the mouse wheel. You can do it really quickly, and I haven't had a problem with it before. There's also the case of Half-Life, which also lets me do that as well as hitting number buttons to go from "weapon folder" to "weapon folder". "1" gives me the crowbar, "2' gives me pistols, "3" gives me larger guns, "4"... that one's still empty (I think it's for heavy stuff, like rocket launchers, but I'm not sure) and "5" pulls up assorted stuff that explodes, like grenades and C4 packs. In Slot 2, there's a "normal" pistol and a revolver. To get the revolver (without using the mouse), I just hit "2" twice.

It works fine for me. Frankly, I find it rather strange how the rest of you scroll through your weapons on console without a little wheel to spin around! We've all got stuff that we never think is weird 'till someone points it out! You know, like how some of us eat spoiled milk? Only, we call it "cheese"!

 

[dessertmonkeyjk]

What about a physics-based FPS? What I mean is essentially something similar to psychic powers (throw, vortex, freeze, change properties) , HL2 style gravity guns, power-ups, and simply utilizing anything and hurl them at enemies without having to resort to bullets. Besides, bullets are just objects sent out at high speeds while doing the same with objects tend to have a better chance on hitting a target... and possibly destroying nearly everything in sight.

You want to play something like this, right? Released in 2006 by the way. Closest thing I could find really.

 

[ElPatron]

1. Bullet time mode- This is like the new obsession or craze at the moment to create a matrix simulation that makes my blood boil

OH LAWD. So you tell me that a feature that was a big hit on Max Payne is somehow a "new" trend?

If you were able to generalize modern FPS that way, then you have been playing the wrong ones. Just saying.

Don't try to be too realistic. Just... don't. We've got way too many games that think they're so realistic, when they have nearly everything displayed in brown and grey, there are walls for cover everywhere and, worst of all, cowardice is rewarded by regenerating your health every time you stop to take a breath. And, yet, you can only sprint for about five seconds? What gives? Half-Life holds some degree of realism, without going overboard. There's enough to make sense, but it also tries to make sure you're enjoying yourself. You don't need to go out getting rations or whatnot and it works just fine. Unless you're trying to make the next Far Cry or, even more extreme, Arma, then, I suggest you avoid any attempts at high levels of realism and not try to be the next Call of Duty.

Call of Duty isn't realistic.

 

[Owyn_Merrilin]

I'm trying to picture how he does weapon switching. I guess he could use the num pad, but that could range from awkward to impossible depending on the keyboard. Using the mousewheel is generally a bad idea in multiplayer unless it's something like Battlefront II, where you have so few weapons that it's literally nothing but a toggle switch to begin with. Also, r and e are nowhere near the arrow keys; part of the reason WASD took off is you could press those buttons and your movement buttons without taking your movement hand off the arrow keys or your aiming hand off the mouse.

Generally, I actually just scroll with the mouse wheel. You can do it really quickly, and I haven't had a problem with it before. There's also the case of Half-Life, which also lets me do that as well as hitting number buttons to go from "weapon folder" to "weapon folder". "1" gives me the crowbar, "2' gives me pistols, "3" gives me larger guns, "4"... that one's still empty (I think it's for heavy stuff, like rocket launchers, but I'm not sure) and "5" pulls up assorted stuff that explodes, like grenades and C4 packs. In Slot 2, there's a "normal" pistol and a revolver. To get the revolver (without using the mouse), I just hit "2" twice.

It works fine for me. Frankly, I find it rather strange how the rest of you scroll through your weapons on console without a little wheel to spin around! We've all got stuff that we never think is weird 'till someone points it out! You know, like how some of us eat spoiled milk? Only, we call it "cheese"!

I guess it depends on the game and the number of weapons. I admit to a bit of overreliance on the mouse wheel in games with limited weapons (TF2, BF2, most other post-Halo shooters), but when I'm playing something like Unreal Tournament or Quake, I memorize what weapon is on what number key /really/ quickly, because even a second or two spent in switching could kill me. Plus, some games just switch faster than others when scrolling.

Also, some of us go even further with the spoiled milk; ever eat yogurt?