Video Game Workshop: The Perfect Shooter

[Nrein]

So, this is a little fun game I picked up awhile ago, pretty much you fill in criteria based on what you think would make your "Perfect Shooter." You can go into as much or as little detail as possible, and you can ask people questions about their ideas and compare/contrast.
Just one rule: Be respectful of other peoples ideas. Don't bluntly just say "Your ideas stupid, I hate it. This is better..." or anything like that. This is to see what goes through the minds of others in terms of what they think would be the perfect game, not to make everyone conform to your ideas. Here's the criteria:

Viewpoint:
First-person
Third-person

Setting:
Futuristic/Space Marines
Modern/Tactical
Past/Historical

Arsenal:
Weapons placed around the map
Weapon load-out determined before spawn

Movement:
All on foot
Vehicles
Brink’s parkour-style navigation

Spawning:
Spawn on a squad leader
Spawn points

Lives:
Infinite respawns
Set number of team spawns
One life to live

Combat:
Shields/extended firefights
Realism: one shot, one kill

Maps:
Wide open and sprawling
Small with insane firefights

Bonuses:
Perks and attributes
Bonuses placed on the map (including power weapons)

Multiplayer:
Objective-based
Slayer

Match Size:
4-8
9-16
17+

Classes/Roles:
Class-based characters with specific loadouts/roles (Battlefield)
Classes that don’t matter all that much but offer a bit of variety (Halo: Reach)
No classes (Counter-Strike)

Experience:
Earn new weapons/abilities
No experience – everything accessible up front

Skill:
Level playing field
Large separation between mediocre and good
Large separation between elite and good
Separation between skill levels but help for the little guy

Mutliplayer Type:
Matchmaking
Dedicated Servers

Post Merge: July 29, 2011, 07:31:16 PMHere's an example, by using my own:

Viewpoint:
Third/First person view. This would implement a sort of SW:Battlefront feel. You can change from third to first at any point, without it truly impeding any of the game play. Being in first person would lower your FoV, but you would gain iron-sights and more HUD features. Third person would increase your FoV, but you would have over-the-shoulder view for aiming, and some minor HUD features would be lost.

Setting:
Modern/Tactical. The game would actually require you to have some sort of skill, not just running and gunning, or standing in the middle of a field with a machine gun killing people without dying.

Arsenal:
Mixture of pre-game load out and weapons placed around the map. You would be able to custom-class you’re your weapon classes, and also find various weapons spread across the map, depending on the map itself.

Movement:
All on foot, but vehicles are unlockable.
You don’t always need a vehicle to get around, but for instances where say, you need a quick insertion, a scouting mission, distraction, or to pick up a fallen comrade, you need a quick way to get around.

Spawning:
Spawn points/zones.

Lives:
Infinite lives.

Combat:
Upgradeable armor. The armor setup would be very similar to that of Halo:Reach, where you get to choose/upgrade your own armor appearance. However, the armor you pick also determines your defense, HUD, and equipment, as well as stamina, shooting ability, and various other things. If you were to say, choose no helmet, then your HUD would show an estimate of certain aspects, such as your compass location, amount of ammo, etc. If you had something to increase attributes about your helmet, it would affect your HUD. And if you have extra/bigger patches, then you can hold more/less.

Maps:
Wide, big maps. There would be a mixture with most maps of large areas, and short tight areas.

Bonuses:
Perks/Attributes. Perks and attributes would be based off of what the player does, rather then just unlocking them as you level up or buy them. This way, you get the perks that you are most likely to use, based on how you perform and what you do.
For example, if you reload a lot, eventually you would become a master of reloading, and reload faster. Or, if you’re always running/sprinting, then you would get perks that would allow you to move faster our sprint longer.

Multiplayer:
Objective-slayer based. The game type would have certain objective that you could do, however it is by choice if you want to do the objectives or not. They would greatly improve your teams over-all performance, however you can choose just to kill the enemy and ignore the objectives. Some objectives solely just help you in getting new positions, weapons, etc.

Match Size:
Map-dependent. Maps will have certain player-maximums, based on the map itself. This doesn’t mean, however, that size is the factor. If it’s a large map, but it’s in the dark, to add an increased suspense, it might have only four to eight players, so that you have more chances to keep to sneaking and trap-making
.
Classes/Roles:
Class-based. Class system would be very similar to Black Ops, however there is one main default class that would be used for situations when classes can’t be picked.

Experience:
Experience based on use. Very similar to the perks system, you gain certain weapons based on use. You do unlock weapons through leveling up, but to get the more advance weapons for certain weapon types, you must use that weapons type.

Skill:
Level playing field based on filtering. Before you can even start the game, you create a First-Time Biography. This biography would cover your playing style, preferences, experience, etc. You can then choose to filter what players you can or can’t play with. After around a month of playing, you would be prompted to do an optional Follow-up Biography, which you can update based on your playing experience of the game.

Mutliplayer Type:
Mix of Matchmaking and Dedicated Servers.
The default would be Dedicated Servers, however you can hop into an automated matchmaking service, based off of the more recent Call of Duty’s.

[Gelidus]

Viewpoint: First-person

Setting: Futuristic

Arsenal: Spawn determined. I hate looking around the map and fighting over the 'best-weapon'. Everyone should start out on equal grounds.

Movement: Not so much usable stuff as in Halo, but still a few vehicle.

Spawning: Can I choose random spawn throughout the map? Spawn points can be seriously frustrating and squad spawns can be equally frustrating. Just let me spawn in some random spot of the map where no one is looking. Someone really needs to invent that

Lives: Infinite respawns

Combat: Realistic. Its more skill based that way.

Maps: A good map has a decent combination of open-space fighting and CQB.

Bonuses: Perks and Attribute. Same thing, I don't want to go search for my bonuses/guns

Multiplayer...depends on how I'm feeling. I'll play both objective and slayer, but objective is much better when you have buddies.

Match Size: 17+ on a HUGE map

Classes: Specific roles for classes. I want to be able to play in different ways depending on how I'm feelin.

Experience: I'm kinda mixed. I'd like to have everything available up front but it makes it so there is no real goal involved. I can play halo over and over again, but I would feel like I've achieved anything. But with COD people can be so hindered by not having everything unlocked

Skill: I'd like my skill to matter so when I play amazing it can be seen, but I don't want it to be so one-sided towards experience that new players don't even have a chance.

Multiplayer type: And type is fine. As long as I can shoot people lol

[^Geist^]

Setting: Futuristic. Farther ahead in time than battlefield 3 but younger than halo.

Arsenal:
Weapon load-out determined before spawn.(Halo reach+ Battlefield 2)

Movement:
Brink’s parkour-style navigation w./ a few movement exclusive vehicles meaning they have no attack function unless you throw some triggerable explosives or you attempt to roadkill.

Spawning:
Spawn on a squad leader and Main bases. BF2 Style


Lives:
Infinite respawns But very delayed spawns


Combat:
Shields/extended firefights.
No to one shot one kill as weapons would be abused too easily unless everyone had a musket lol. There would be a bleed out system kinda like in project reality(BF2 mod).After getting shot depending on weapon and range you would begin to bleed out. To completely bleed out it would take about 90 seconds. During this time all the medic would have to do is patch you up. IF you bleed out you would become unconscious and you would have 3 minutes to be revived. If someone shoots you while your in this stage you are down for good.You would not be a walking tank it would take 3-5 hits to put you down indefinitely depending on weapon and range.

Maps:
Wide open and sprawling. They would be in different environments. woodland:Tree's and lots of em rocks and abandoned/destroyed buildings. arctic: Above ground would be pillboxes and snowbanks of varied sizes. Underground would be linked bunkers and tunnels. cities: filled with buildings of varied sizes and such. Everything would be allowed to be entered and or exited. With that being said it would also allow for cqc encounters. Also fully destructible environments


Bonuses:
Perks and attributes

Multiplayer:
Objective-based


Match Size:
17+

Classes/Roles:
Class-based characters with specific loadouts/roles (Battlefield)


Experience:
Earn new weapons/abilities
No experience – everything accessible up front
A bit of both. Everything is availible in the beginning and then you can level the guns you choose

Skill:
Separation between skill levels but help for the little guy. Because everyone is a n00b at some point in time.

Mutliplayer Type:
Dedicated Servers no questions asked

[simsal]

Viewpoint:
For the viewpoint i would use First person, third person shooters for me just don't feel right and i always prefer to be seeing what my character can, so that i can get more of a feel in the game and for me makes the game more interesting. I mainly play FPS's like Battlefield: Bad Company 2 and Call of duty, both of which are good games with both ups and downs but the First person view for both of them makes the game feel better and more interesting especially when something gets blown up in Battlefield. Also to add is that First person also have the HUD and this helps as you play but i prefer HUD in third person as in first person i find it blocks your Field of view as you play sometimes. Iron sights in FPS also i love i can aim better and shoot better using these where as third person its more of get them in the circle and shoot meaning not much aiming is needed.

Setting:
Modern shooters and and some time in the future from now like Battlefield 3 setting, i do also like Futuristic games and games that are about WW2 or any past wars as i am very interested in.

Arsenal:
Weapon load-out that you can change after every death like Battlefield, it means if your doing bad with a wepon you can change and hopefully get better using another one

Movement:
Maps with only involve moving but i also like maps that use vehicles as these make the game more unique and makes the level better knowing if your doing bad on foot you can use EG tank

Spawning:
Being able to spawn on a squad right behind then when you spawn and have the choice to spawn in your base, i hate random re-spawns and when it chooses for you as this system usually ends in spawn traps and people spawning and getting killed quickly

Lives:
Infinate amount of spawns and limited amounts meaning a team has a certain amount of lives and the round ends when all the lives have been taken down

Combat:
Realism not one shot one kill for main wepons but you can take few hits and no HUD also adds to realism

Maps:
Medium to large maps meaning its good for sniping and vehicle warfare and also adds that you can have some distance between the person your shooting but close quaters as well with lots of cover and destruction woud be good meaning it makes the map fun and dangerous.

Bonuses:
No bonuses, these make a certain player better than another and i prefer when people are equal with only something like extra ammo or a duel mag not making the other player having a great advantage

Multiplayer:
Objective based where you have to work as a team to win

Match Size:
17+

Classes/Roles:
Class - based roles as these mean you can easily see what class you want and have unique weapons to that class

Experience:
Earn new weapons as you progress meaning the player feels success and means the player can gradually get into weapons and get better quicker than having everything up front

Skill:
Separation between people as being owned by someone helps, getting killed a lot means you need to get better and as you do you will again gradually get better until the point were you can use weapons well and your owning other people. So if you do badly dont worry you will get better over time

Mutliplayer Type:
Dedicated servers defiantly means you don't have to use someones terrible internet connection causing loads of lag as dedicated servers mean little lag and better game play

[flames]

Viewpoint: 1st person, but 3rd should be an option, especially if any melee modes or other mods are added in.

Setting: Past, Present and Future (via time travel), allowing for a wider range of environments, enemies and weapons. Finding elements overlapping in later maps could allow for more creative level design and plot elements.

Arsenal: Spawn with a weapons based on class with a small degree of customisability. Main weapons are scattered throughout the map. No limit to how many weapons can be carried. Rarer weapons only appear on certain maps and are harder to find ammo for, leading you to conserve ammo for some weapons. Most common weapons respawn frequently on each map, rarer items may only spawn once (campaign) or after long durations of time (multiplayer).
Each weapon should have its own clear purpose with little overlap if possible. Focus on unique, enjoyable weapons with their own playstyles rather than an endless stream of mostly similar guns.

Movement: On foot, some elements of parkour added to allow for more dynamic and fast-paced gameplay, as well as encouraging smart level design. Vehicles of any sort, if included at all, should be limited to single player and possibly a few large, open, team-based maps.

Spawning: Depends on game mode. Random spawn points on most maps, points close to your team's area in team games and possibly spawn zones for more tactical team based modes on certain maps.

Lives: Infinite on multiplayer (except for Arena, Survival and Last Man Standing modes). One life on single player.

Combat: Health and Amour system (e.g. Doom, Quake, original Team Fortress), focus on fast and frantic combat, relying on reflexes and skill. Physics should encourage tricks (parkour, jump pads, rocket jumping) rather than realism. Larger team-based games may require more tactical fighting, but still boils down to old-school combat.

Maps: Varied, largely dependant on game mode to some extent. Single player maps should mostly consist of relatively small, confined areas linked together with the occasional larger open area. Multiplayer varies massively but large areas shouldn't be too open: there should be plenty of passageways, higher levels, ruins to take cover behind/use for movement tricks.

Bonuses: For single player, upgrades to your class weapons (that you spawn with) as you advance through the game and other small perks, along with some scattered powerups on certain levels.  Multiplayer has rare powerups that spawn infrequently and are often in difficult to access places, requiring good usage of movement tricks or exploration. Some powerups may be granted on certain modes based on player actions. All powerups are very temporary, with the exception of some that only appear on large team-based maps: these powerups have weaker effects but stay with the player until death, and aren't stackable.

Multiplayer: Classic modes such as Deathmatch, Survival (players vs enemies), Last Man Standing, Capture the Flag, etc. The "Team" modifier is available for almost every mode and some Team games have a few maps which require more tactics to achieve several smaller goals before tackling the main objective. Tactical maps feature spawn zones instead of points and tend to be somewhat larger.
Classic modes tend to be the main focus however, with a few mutators that can be added to any game mode that can alter gameplay (e.g. instagib, all rockets, melee only, vampire)

Match size: Like most aspects, is largely map dependant. Most maps should be designed so that almost any number of people can work rather well. Obviously most larger maps will work better with more players but a few may be intentionally designed to allow for "cat and mouse" situations: weapons are scarce, but cover and paths to take are common, allowing for more tense gameplay. Semi-random spawn points for weapons encourages exploration of such maps and ability to move well.

Classes/Roles: Classes exist but on the whole do not alter gameplay too much. Max values for health and armour, speed, proficiency at parkour, etc change depending on class, as do the spawn weapons, but strategy and gameplay remains fairly constant regardless of class and weapons/powerups found in each map mostly work the same for each class.
Single player has some greater differences, but only due to slight storyline changes and the minor perks gained through the campaign. It may be better to say that each class is simply a different character rather than someone with a completely different role. A player of one class can easily adjust to another but those who know how to get the most out of their respective class will have an edge...

Experience: To some extent in single player. Weapons can be upgraded and some small perks can be obtained. Points for upgrades are received from progression through the story, ability to find secret areas in each map (which themselves often contain ammo reserves, health, armour, etc), kills/frags and certain objective-based tasks (e.g. clearing a map by cleaning up an area and leaving before the reinforcements come). Upgrades do not provide massive benefits, but can provide an extra edge and can mostly be used as a Bragging Rights Reward to help show your completion of the single player mode.
On the whole, any armour bonuses, rare weapons or temporary powerups found by exploring the levels and finding secrets will generally be more beneficial than the benefits gained by the upgrade system. Points cannot be grinded by replaying levels over and over, but doing better in a level will grant you the extra points in difference from your last score.

Skill: Several tutorial modes and offline practice with bots help give new players a leg up. An option can be triggered when practicing (and is on by default on the first few practices) that can determine your tier of skill. Online matches can be filtered by tiers, but tierless matches also exist, as does the option to have servers with a select few tiers. People playing together with those a tier above or below them is encouraged. Those who are more than 2 tiers apart are generally advised not to play together, but they can still do so if they wish on the tierless servers.
Tiers are to be considered with more than a grain of salt and mixed tier or tierless servers will generally be expected to be more common, as they allow for more players and a more dynamic gaming experience.

Multiplayer type: Matchmaking is available, as are dedicated servers. Server browser has plenty of filter criteria and allows for search. Favourites can be easily stored and views can be changed to suit the player. Dedicated servers and one somebody has set up to temporarily play with some friends can be told apart and filtered.