Threads about the first person shooter genre are not so common here compared to rpg/rts, but I'd like to ask what kind of features makes you like a FPS. Or what features haven't you yet seen in a FPS, but would like to see. All answers and suggestions are welcome, they can be gameplay, level design or even story related.

[IMO]

Team based FPSes are good. Vote to kick/ban is generally good to have available. Selectable classes are good. Limited spawn FPSes are terrible. Single player FPSes are a waste of time. Vehicles are largely terrible unless maps are huge (see Tribes); and even then fairly mediocre. Quick-key audio chat (see Tribes; v-d-b plays "defend our base!" for example) is pretty nice. Bunny hopping is lame. Wall jumps are lame. Double jumps/dodges (see UT) are lame. Skiing (see Tribes) is tactically interesting. Grapple hooks are fun. Laser tripmines are fun, but easily abusable. Snarks are fun. Well done maps are good. A variety of maps are good. A few unsymmetrical team maps are good.

Balance is always good. Constant pace is good. Rewarding skill over luck is good.

for a single player fps, AI
A smart realistic ai, that isnt dumb but cant see though wall either, and enemies of the same type dont all react and move exactly the same

For singleplayer, you have to have a (good) storyline. For multiplayer, I personnally like laser trip mines alot.

For both, the maps have to be a little original. I have played *enough* warehouses with large packing crates. I have played enough broken-down towns with every single building made of either brick or concrete. I have played enough generic business buildings. I have *not* played enough country-side maps or enough forested areas. Only Unreal Tournament seems to have a good variety(at least graphics wise) of maps.

Include (at least semi-decent)bots for us weirdos who are afraid to show ourselves online.

I like sniping in single-player FPS-es. I sniped my way all the way through Far Cry (using the M4 of course -- the sniper rifle would be cheating). Thus, I vote for good cover for sneaking close to enemies.

Meanwhile, I hate the AWP in CS:S ;-)

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Original post by Telastyn [IMO] Team based FPSes are good. Vote to kick/ban is generally good to have available. Selectable classes are good. Limited spawn FPSes are terrible. Single player FPSes are a waste of time. Vehicles are largely terrible unless maps are huge (see Tribes); and even then fairly mediocre. Quick-key audio chat (see Tribes; v-d-b plays "defend our base!" for example) is pretty nice. Bunny hopping is lame. Wall jumps are lame. Double jumps/dodges (see UT) are lame. Skiing (see Tribes) is tactically interesting. Grapple hooks are fun. Laser tripmines are fun, but easily abusable. Snarks are fun. Well done maps are good. A variety of maps are good. A few unsymmetrical team maps are good. Balance is always good. Constant pace is good. Rewarding skill over luck is good.

So you like Tribes, but don't like UT, right?

I like UT. I like Quake 3 Arena. I like the fast-paced, frenzied deathmatch style of gameplay. It's engaging and exciting, and once you can channel the controls, wall-jumping and bunny-hopping are perfectly alright, unless the game is pretending to be something other than an arcade-style fragfest (Counterstrike, Battlefield 2 are ruined by bunnyhopping and other "exploits", because those games' atmospheres made such behaviors seem inappropriate, while Quake 3 and UT were nourished by "abuses" of the physics engine such as rocket-jumping.)

But I also loved Far Cry, and would pay cash money for a co-op campaign in that game. It's terrific to creep through the bushes and watch for the glint of a sniper scope from half a mile away. Fighting from a hang-glider is fun, too.

I guess what I'm getting to is that you need to have a clear notion of how your game should feel. If you want to be flying ninja matrix monkeys of rocket-launching doom, then go balls out and make it an explosive carnage factory, with glowing powerups and titanium buzzsaws. If you want an authentic tactical experience, take out jumping, and make it properly difficult to fire a pistol while running.

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So you like Tribes, but don't like UT, right?

No, I liked UT a bit, but I loved tribes (2 anyways); More importantly, I really liked Q3A, and only mostly liked UT.

UT (imo) favored luck over skill far too much. Some rank beginner spamming a flak cannon or biogun had a fairly good chance at doing quite a bit of damage. (especially in UT's often claustrophobic maps). Some shmuck dodging this way and that had a good chance to avoid damage, no matter the skill of the enemy. Further, a number of features in UT designed to promote skill (double tapping, wall jumping, the shock blast) were often exploited by 3rd party bindings and bots.

In Q3A, someone spamming fire might get lucky with the occasional rail gun, but even a rocket hit required more damage to finish the job; often enough time for a skilled player to at least even the score. Jumping randomly too was far less effective since the control of the character in the air was far less. In Q3A, if someone mistimes a jump around a skilled player, they're almost certain to land on a rocket.

I like a nice mix of slow-paced puzzles/story and high-paced slaying. The original Doom was brilliant, I think, and I liked Half-Life 2 for that reason too.

Personally, I like an FPS to have an engaging single player campaign with a good story. AI is very important in single player. It is also important to keep providing new enemies, weapons, and vehicles to keep things fresh. This is almost always better than simply throwing in more of the same in greater quantities.

I like smart use of enemies, rather than pouring in a few extra ones. I also like enemies being used within the storyline, where the story isn't just an excuse for that enemy type but also a reason for their actions, onto the level where your enemies not only react to you, but also act on themselves. Whether that's done by scripting or more or less built into their AI doesn't matter so much to me. I just really hate getting the feeling that every enemy already was there for hours untill you entered the room. Things have to make sense and work together logically.

Now I've made levels for Half-Life (2) for about 6 years, so perhaps it's me who has just seen too much custom maps, but hey... ;)

Anyway, as for other features... I play FPS mostly because they're easy to get into, with easy controls and all, so there's no real new gameplay features I'd like to see, except for an AI that lives up to it's visuals perhaps.


With what intention are you asking this, bytheway?