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I was thinking about what made fast paced FPS so unpopular nowadays and came into the conclusion it may have be a design flaw in the genre.
Now, as QLranks recently came out, current player ratings range from ~800 (total noob) to ~2000 (international top 16). If we consider one level ~100 points, the range within players have somewhat a close game, there is currently 12 levels in Quake. The problem is, as the difference reaches or passes ~200-300 points, it feels like for one player being hit by the rapetrain at 0:10 mark and they wont get released from under of it until the match ends.
Obviously, for someone grown up playing competitive games its completely normal, for example its not like 99,9% should stand any kind of chance against the very best. However the following generations who been taught by game developers that they borned to succeed this causing such a hard cognitive dissonance, there is no way they ever be able to put up with it.
And here comes the design flaw: until the gameplay revolves around collecting armor and health this cog.dissonance wont vanish, as the system designed to truly reflect to the exact difference between two players.
Reducing the skillgap would be a solution? Well, yes and no. I think SC2 is the prime example, what the fast paced FPS genre needs. Just by inventing things like auto-mining and unlimited unit control grouping they gave the impression to beginners they not completely lost in the game. I mean things like you have 25 workers but only 5 mining, or you have 50 units, but you only control 12 or something...
My idea would be, instead of collecting health and armor the gameplay should revolve around collecting and combining powerups, while everyone spawns with equal, not replenishable health. For example a player can hold 2 of the 6-8 powerup in the map and the strategy would be picking up or combining the right ones for the situation (offensive/defensive). Powerups could be something like scout/guard etc in CTF: damage multiplier (1.2x), radar, speed, aim-helper, shield (slows down the player) etc... Obviously most of these runs out in certain time (like 30secs), others like aim helper need to be actived and only available for a very little time, like 5 seconds.
This idea needs to be thought-out well and balanced for ages to make it work.
Just my opinion, but the only option for fast FPS to survive is redesigning. Getting enough noobs to play each other in the "classic" ones would just momentarily solve the problem, as people tend to leave after a few months for newer games. Building up a business plan upon the idea releasing a game every year to make these people coming back i think in the case of this genre is just out of the question, considering the current popularity.
If a new, fast dueling FPS ever comes out, i think it should be avoid the old health and armor collecting system. What do you think?
Now, as QLranks recently came out, current player ratings range from ~800 (total noob) to ~2000 (international top 16). If we consider one level ~100 points, the range within players have somewhat a close game, there is currently 12 levels in Quake. The problem is, as the difference reaches or passes ~200-300 points, it feels like for one player being hit by the rapetrain at 0:10 mark and they wont get released from under of it until the match ends.
Obviously, for someone grown up playing competitive games its completely normal, for example its not like 99,9% should stand any kind of chance against the very best. However the following generations who been taught by game developers that they borned to succeed this causing such a hard cognitive dissonance, there is no way they ever be able to put up with it.
And here comes the design flaw: until the gameplay revolves around collecting armor and health this cog.dissonance wont vanish, as the system designed to truly reflect to the exact difference between two players.
Reducing the skillgap would be a solution? Well, yes and no. I think SC2 is the prime example, what the fast paced FPS genre needs. Just by inventing things like auto-mining and unlimited unit control grouping they gave the impression to beginners they not completely lost in the game. I mean things like you have 25 workers but only 5 mining, or you have 50 units, but you only control 12 or something...
My idea would be, instead of collecting health and armor the gameplay should revolve around collecting and combining powerups, while everyone spawns with equal, not replenishable health. For example a player can hold 2 of the 6-8 powerup in the map and the strategy would be picking up or combining the right ones for the situation (offensive/defensive). Powerups could be something like scout/guard etc in CTF: damage multiplier (1.2x), radar, speed, aim-helper, shield (slows down the player) etc... Obviously most of these runs out in certain time (like 30secs), others like aim helper need to be actived and only available for a very little time, like 5 seconds.
This idea needs to be thought-out well and balanced for ages to make it work.
Just my opinion, but the only option for fast FPS to survive is redesigning. Getting enough noobs to play each other in the "classic" ones would just momentarily solve the problem, as people tend to leave after a few months for newer games. Building up a business plan upon the idea releasing a game every year to make these people coming back i think in the case of this genre is just out of the question, considering the current popularity.
If a new, fast dueling FPS ever comes out, i think it should be avoid the old health and armor collecting system. What do you think?
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