Shocked_ on 13/9/2008 at 13:22
I like playing FPS / FPS-RPG games. I've completed SS2, Stalker, F.E.A.R., AvP2, NOLF2 etc many times. Based on my experience as a PC FPS gamer I've noted some things that are executed better in some games than the others.
Irritating things:
* Quick load buttons disabled in main menu.
Ok, eg BioShock's "Continue" button is basicly the same thing but I find it just easier and faster to just hit the correct F button in main menu to begin playing. AvP2 (and Nolf2...?) supports this.
* Too long pause / some save screen when quick saving.
SS2 saves almost instantly. Though I remember the pause being longer when playing the game with my older compurter. I think Fear also saves quite quickly. I goddamn hate BioShock's way: long pause and save screen.
* Kayboard dies when payer dies.
Meaning you have to watch death animation and hitting esc or quick load have fo effect. Extremely small thing but highly irritating! Solution: don't die so often :) It still irritates even if you don't keep dying all the time but less so.
Just noticed my list got kinda short :) I just thought of these when I was playing BS couple of minutes ago and decided to post. I don't even bother listing the console heritage things in games because everyone already hates them :cool:
And to not make this thread about BS: More pistols and akimbo guns! Stalker has an impressive variety of pistols but most don't have good enough accuracy to be useful. That is due to striving for greater realism I know but as soon as I get those super accurate akimbo pistols in Fear thats the only weapon I use from that point on <3
P.S. One more thing about pistols. From the begining I'd like the game to force me play with the base pistol / pistols. You'd get better sidearms from defeated enemies etc. As soon as FarCry lets me have a bigger gun the fun factor drops. Well I still use the DE for quite a bit but at some point it begins to feel like work to try gun down assault rifle wielding enemies (or maybe I just suck at it :P ) Plus getting an AR after couple of hours playing would feel more rewarding.
Whaddya think?
Edit: Fixed that damn thread title :P
EvaUnit02 on 13/9/2008 at 13:47
As long as checkpoints are generously and well placed, they're fine. You lot need to harden up TBH.
When checkpoints are few and far between and/or badly placed, then it's just an artificial difficulty booster. But it can be argued that being able to save anywhere can make games easier, then the player has to be relied upon to set limitations for themselves. I for one have no control when it comes quicksave/quickload and usually abuse it thoroughly.
But then there's games where saving anywhere is essential. We've all played those FPSes where the AI seemingly have bionic vision and reactions. The "Sniper Town" level from MoH:AA comes to mind.
EDIT: Wow, I shouldn't have skim read the OP. Feel free to ignore this reply.
Fragony on 13/9/2008 at 14:36
Checkpoints are great, fps needs to be skillbased. I miss the pure fps, I want more Painkiller and the first Halo, waves of enemy´s and cool stuff to kill them with. Hope The Conduit will deliver.
Volitions Advocate on 13/9/2008 at 14:37
No, I think it was a good addition to the OP.
the save screen thing bugs the crap out of me too. And I also abuse the QS/QL combo.
As for checkpoints. I hated the FarCry checkpoint system. Because they werent balanced. Some were really easy to reach while others took me literally a week or more to get past because I wasn't willing to cheat.
My favorite checkpoint system is in Halo. Whatever gripes with the game aside, its a smart system that detects things in the game and basically "rewards" you with a checkpoint when certain things happen. Like being in an area, or surviving a particulary tough firefight. Often if you're worried about not having your game saved before wandering into the next fight, if You walk around and make sure everything is dead in your area you should get a checkpoint at some spot. Although thats not perfect, because sometimes it "forgets" to reward you with one.
What I find to be the biggest downfall in most FPS games that are really great is clunky combat. Now in some games its actually part of the gameplay (COC:DCOTE, Deus Ex) but I dont like the feeling that I'm wearing skiboots and mittens while i'm trying to gun somebody down who seems to hit me at least 85% of the time.
the games for me on this list are games like BioShock and SS2. I would love to play a game with complexities of SS2 where the combat is more fluid like DOOM3 or HL2 or Crysis or Fear. AVP2 was also great, It had to be or you'd never hit the little buggers as they were crawling after you on the walls.
Not that I want a twitch fest like Quake MP or UT. (which kind of seems like the direction Shocked_ is taking it, correct me if i'm wrong) but something where the combat seems a little more visceral than.... *insert the word here that I can't quite find*
BEAR on 13/9/2008 at 15:06
Quote Posted by Shocked_
* Too long pause / some save screen when quick saving.
SS2 saves almost instantly. Though I remember the pause being longer when playing the game with my older compurter. I think Fear also saves quite quickly. I goddamn hate BioShock's way: long pause and save screen.
This bugged the shit out of me, really broke the immersion. It was like practically doing a regular save. In the time it took, you almost forgot quite what you were doing. I think the entire point of a quicksave is that its quick, not just a hotkey bound to the regular save button.
Then again, can a quicksave be quicker than a regular save? I imagine they do mostly the same thing? I think BS needed an big autosave between each zone (that didnt get overwritten) to compliment a quick quicksave.
Sulphur on 13/9/2008 at 19:33
This is probably extremely minor, but I really would like better clipping in games.
It's quite an immersion breaker to see your gun disappear through a wall, or someone's foot going through their ass when they kneel down to squeeze a shot off.
For a really minor nitpick - there are some current shadowing algorithms where the shadows appear on both sides of the surface they're projected onto. For example, if you're in a room underneath an attic, if someone's walking in the attic you can actually see their shadow on the ceiling above you.
Also, unskippable cut scenes. It doesn't matter how short the scene is, but if you're going to reintroduce that stoopid fscking boss every time I die, I am THAT close to deleting your fscking game from my hard drive. Two Thrones, I'm looking at you! :mad:
EvaUnit02 on 13/9/2008 at 20:31
-Crappy collision detection. I like having my hits actually register, thank you very much.
-Dumb shit friendly AI. Ie they may block way/line of sight); stand around whilst taking a beating; fire at nothing; leave you to do all the work; etc.
-Awful pop-up caused by low draw distances (eg console games/unoptimised ports) and/or bad LoD texture caching (most UE3.0 titles on 360!). One huge immersion killer IMO.
Human character enemy AI with inhuman qualities. Eg "bionic vision" and superhuman reflexes.
-Enemy AI that usually/always ignores friendly NPCs and focuses their attacks solely on the player.
van HellSing on 13/9/2008 at 21:58
Six replies in and no mention of the creative use of apostrophe in the thread title?
Now where's Zylon when you really need him? :p
catbarf on 13/9/2008 at 22:02
Quote Posted by van HellSing
Six replies in and no mention of the creative use of apostrophe in the thread title?
I was going to ask what on earth wan't means, then I realized that it would look like trolling without other content and rather than take the time to add input went to another site.
My pet peeve: Infinitely respawning enemies, especially when there's no logical reason for more of them to pour out of the woodwork. I'm looking specifically at AVP2 and COD4.
Sulphur on 13/9/2008 at 22:10
she showed? me" how to mix! them
(and now; I can! mix up all kinds" of punctuation, in! my writing?
There, are lots! of rules? to lern; but Im gettin'g them in my head.
One thing I like about, Dear Miss Kinnian: (thats the way it
goes in a business letter if I ever go into business) is she, always
gives me' a reason" when--I ask. She's a gen'ius! I wish I cou'd be
smart" like, her;
(Punctuation, is; fun!)
(Btw vH, you missed an article there, you know. :p)
