Dave's Ideas

Ideas For FPS Games

May 12, 2011

Having recently enjoyed Portal 2, it seems a bit weird to play in a normal shooter where I mindlessly kill wave after wave of enemies. With Portal I really had to be aware of my surroundings, and as a result was constantly thinking about my strategy. Just about every shot I fired from the portal gun was purposeful and calculated.

But then I jump into another FPS game and my brain switches off and it’s all about kill-or-be-killed, with the odd break in gameplay (like a puzzle or cut-scene).

Here is a list of suggestions for shooter games to help break up the tedium:

1. Consequential Collateral Damage. In many games, there are civilians or friendlies you could kill during a firefight. I propose a system where you are forced to be careful before you shoot. For example, your wife is kidnapped by a group of Guerillas. They force her to fight for their cause. As you engage the Guerillas, there is a chance you could kill your wife. If the goal of the game is to rescue her, it’s game over if you kill her. Not only does this make you extremely alert when taking on hostiles, but a bit paranoid to boot.

2. Wounding Enemies. We gamers are conditioned to flat-out kill every enemy. However there may be times when it is beneficial to exercise restraint and wound/disable an enemy. You may be able to interrogate the wounded for crucial intel or access to supplies. Or perhaps take the enemy prisoner and get him to lead you through the dangerous area ahead. Ideally this would be a system employed at the player’s discretion, not dictated by the game (e.g. ‘kill this target’, ‘capture this target’). This forces the player to make some calculated decisions, as opposed to exterminating everyone without thinking.

3. Sometimes It’s Best To Lie Low. In many shooters, it’s just one engagement after another. I’d make it so the player could hide or evade enemies when the situation calls for it. For example, you’d come across a large patrol of enemies. Taking them on would be suicide, so it’s best to hide and wait for them to pass. This forces the player to analyze enemy strength and movement, and whether to engage or evade. This helps with analytical skills and decision-making. Also, it’s a real change-up for players to be put in a situation where it’s best not to shoot. I have seen this done in games, but as an NPS (non-playable scene).

4. Your Gun Could Get Damaged Or Become Unreliable. Seems the main concern with weapons is ammunition supply and reload timing. Besides that, guns are extremely dependable. I’d like to see weapons get damaged from enemy fire/explosions, or just even suffer some wear and tear, causing you to discard it. Your gun could become extremely inaccurate or suffer a lot of misfires, possibly harming you. This forces the player to become more attuned to their arsenal, and deal with the scenario of winding up weaponless at the drop of a hat.

5. Self-Preserving Enemies Can Be Problematic. The enemy opposition for most games is very linear in their numbers, and usually loiter until killed. I would like to see enemy AI practice some form of self-preservation and actually retreat, causing for more opposition strength down the road. This way it is a bit more urgent that you take down fleeing targets.

6. Incentives To Keep Teammates Alive. I see in a lot of games you’ll have a squad tail you for whatever reason, but their purpose is merely added firepower. Not to reduce squad-based gameplay into an ‘escort mission’, but it would be an interesting dynamic if success depended on the well-being of the guys fighting by your side. Maybe one of them is a medic or the bomb-defuser. You’ll find yourself being more cautious as you proceed and protective of your personnel. Which reminds me…

7. Friendly Personnel Should Not Re-Spawn. Once your squadmate gets killed in action, he/she is gone forever. You may be tasked with using a medic system to patch-up your wounded, but if you are out of supplies and a teammate bites the dust, that is it. This would be even more devastating if these characters were embedded in the story in some form, and their death impacts the plot in some form. Also, teammates could get severely wounded as well, forcing you to leave them behind.

8. You Might Be In For A Mutiny. I think it would be interesting if you were on thin ice with your squad. Maybe they might get tired of you leading them into one bad scenario after another. Maybe they aren’t impressed with you accidentally shooting them or being slow to heal them. Whatever the case, it would be in your best interests to protect and aid these guys, or you might get shot in the back. They might not kill you, but they might pack it in and go home.

9. The Bad Guys Could Impair Your Mission. Besides killing you, the enemy does little to slow your progress. A few things I’d like to see: You could be captured and sent to a prison complex you’d have to break out of. Or you are captured and taken into a mobile convoy you need to escape from, however the convoy is heading back to the start of the game! The enemy could sabotage bridges or other entry points and destroy them if they catch wind you are on their tail, forcing you to go the long way around. The enemy could destroy supply depots to impair your progress. The enemy could capture a squadmate, leaving you shorthanded and perhaps compromised intel-wise.

10. Race Against The Clock. This is a feature employed by many other video game genres, but not so much in shooters. I’d like to see an overall story arc depend on a deadline, similar to the film Crimson Tide. The enemy might launch nukes in 8 hours, you need to get in there and stop them. This dynamic would add so much urgency and cause you to employ drastic measures. That may mean sacrificing a teammate or killing civilians to accomplish your overall mission. It would feel like a long episode of 24!

Entry filed under: Video Games. Tags: Design, Entertainment, FPS, Ideas.