[casual_games] Yes we need more FPS

[James Terry]

On the topic of FPS's, I think this is one place the Wii can really
shine and give people an immersive experience. With the Wii Remote and
Nunchuck, the controls can be quite a bit more intuitive than
keyboard/mouse/controller. And hopefully the work Sony has been doing
with the HD Eyetoy can benefit this genre.

With Light sabers in an FPS, the Jedi Knight series did this very well.
You maintain first person for all the guns and switch out to a third
person view when you bring out your light sabers, since the light sabers
are flashy very distracting to a first person viewpoint.

In the past few years, FPS controls haven't changed much at all and
everything there is seems to be graphics, more graphics, more physics,
more realism, and new weapons. More immersive and casual control schemes
can really be a boon.


James R. Terry
Yatec Games
11605 Southfork
Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70816
(225) 274-1550 Ext. 116
www.yatecgames.com


> 

> The idea that FPS has nothing new to offer seems reasonable until

> someone comes out with the next cool idea.  At that point we all then

> declare that FPS has again finally reached the point where it has

> nothing new to offer.

> 

> The game I'd pay retail for is Lego Star wars with a first person

combat

> system.  Same game mechanics.  Same easy controls - like a casual

game,

> you can teach your friends how to play in no time.  The two person

mode

> with easy entry / exit means you can fire it up at a party and let

folks

> take turns easily.

> 

> [OK, so maybe I'm sick, but some days I really want to play a Lego

Star

> wars FPS 16-player LAN death match.  That's not the topic of this

> missive.  And the Lego in-jokes about involving the word "stud" could

be

> every bit as juvenile as what you hear in Unreal, but I digress.]

> 

> But what I have said for years is that exploring is best done in third

> person and combat in first.  So in the Lego Star wars case, when I

pull

> out that light saber, please drop me into first person so I know what

> I'm actually going to hit with the thing (and so my son next to me

does

> as well).  Lego handles "own goal" pretty well, but still it's a pain.

> And when I put the saber away, third person is best to see all the

cool

> things the level designer put in for me.

> 

> You could even have camera AI so that when I do a flashy combat move

> like jump+attack the camera pulls back to chase-cam position or so,

> giving me the nice view of my character executing the move (during

which

> time it's not accepting control input, so camera angle does not

penalize

> me).

> 

> ---

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