So.. it''s 3 AM and I''m looking back at basic premises of FPS''s in the past. WOLFENSTEIN: After being imprisoned deep inside a Nazi fortress, you single-handedly blast your way through the stronghold and thwart the Fuhrer''s plans. DOOM: You are the sole survivor of a recon mission to a secret lab to discover that everyone has been killed... QUAKE: You are the humans'' last hope against something... QUAKE2: You are the only man standing between... UNREAL: You wake up alone on an alien planet... HALFLIFE: It''s up to you to make it out of the secret base... DEUS EX: (Insert above text) UNREAL II: (Insert above text) DOOM3: (INSERT ABOVE F__KING TEXT) You see what I''m getting at. Why are FPS characters so freaking alone? I understand the plight and the adrenaline rush involved with knowing the world will crumble without your one-man battalion, but is this anywhere near realistic? A few mission in the game involving you behind enemy lines would be nice, but this concept has already been beaten into the ground. We have games like SOCOM, Opposing Force, Rainbow Six and such that at least give you the feeling that you are a part of something larger. These games are in a class of FPS that desperately needs to be populated more. It wouldn''t hurt to throw in a scenario or two where you are just one in a mass of bodies, having it out and hoping you are the last one alive. Or to be trapped in an inescapable death trap-- only to be saved at the last minute by the "other" hero in the game. Half-Life has you walking into rooms just as Scientist #9485 is being brutalized-- or teaming up with Barney until he runs, guns blazing, into the meat-grinder maw of some huge beast. Or until you have to climb up a ladder. Is the social aspect of fighting for your freedom completely lost in this age? Or are we forever doomed to being "man''s last hope"? B. Bradley: The number 2 mind www.numbermind.com(coming soon)

someone has miss medal of honnor

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
be good
be evil
but do it WELL
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

The next great realistic fps blockbuster: MESS HALL MANIA!

Make food for the troops in the most desperate battle the world has ever seen! Be part of something larger! Only by supplying the fighting men and women of the world can your army be strong enough to secure freedom and liberty for the world!

FIGHT hunger with a multitude of fine dishes like scrambled eggs, roast beed, and the awesome three course turkey dinner!

DESTORY the bad eating habits of your men AND SUCCEED against starvation!

Socialize with your men, and maybe if your encampment ever gets raided as you cower behind a frying pan they might save you! GET IN THE ACTION of making fine breakfasts, lunches, and dinners TODAY!

MESS HALL MANIA!


But seriously:

Someone also missed Operation Flashpoint, Battlefeild 1942, Counter-Strike, Tribes, Tribes 2, PlanetSide, and so on.

Who cares? It''s all good.

and Call of Duty.

Dan Marchant
Obscure Productions (www.obscure.co.uk)
Game Development & Design consultant

Also, Halo.

Also, Deus Ex doesn't properly follow your premise, although you do tend to be on your own in the shoot-ups, the isolation factor is severely limited.

ld

[edited by - liquiddark on December 9, 2003 9:50:25 AM]

why not try dating sim?? it''s a firts person (rather static) view
NO drop that HAMMER...

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
be good
be evil
but do it WELL
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Lessbread : surely you realise that the character ends up being alone out of technical necessity. Even in games where you are supposed to have friends who can help you, most of the time it goes something like "OK, while I go and do something really important on the other side of this door, you are gonna go and blast through this level and come back".
Mostly it''s a thing with the AI.
I remember in Medal of Honor, I really tried hard to save my soldiers, but in the end it really didnt make any difference.
After all, those games are called First Person for a reason, eh ?

I am sure when the AI improve that will change big time.

Sancte Isidore ora pro nobis !

Operation Flashpoint: Resistance all the way.

quote: Original post by ahw
Lessbread

You are addressing the wrong loaf, I think.