• 20Mar 09

  How to make an FPS

  Are you thinking about making an FPS? No? Well you should be! No genre requires less thought to construct a game in it, why, you'll even be criticized if you don't use someone elses already well established game engine as a backbone for it! Big time developers and indie crews looking for their big break can make use of this guide alike, provided free of charge. Simply check the answers to the ten question quiz below that appeal to you, and you'll be on your way to the new release of your dreams!

  1. Your game takes place...
     • during World War II
     • in the future in space
     • in the future somewhere that looks like World War II
     • in an alternate version of World War II that's either futuristic or magical
  2. Your main character is an emotionless...
     • scientist/writer/janitor/other unlikely hero career that bears little to no impact on the plot
     • marine
     • space marine
     • wizard marine
  3. The advertised gimmick of your game will be...
     • a weapon that uses your physics engine somehow
     • its cover system
     • squad control
     • more realistic grey and brown coloring than the last grey and brown colored game to be released
  4. The antagonists of the game that threaten your nigh unkillable hero are of course...
     • aliens
     • zombies
     • nazis
     • alien nazis
     • zombie nazis
     • caveman nazis
  5. Though there will be a lot of weapons in the game to use, the only one the player will have to rely on is...
     • the weapon that uses your physics engine somehow
     • the starting rifle
     • the rifle your antagonists (from now on reffered to as 'nazis' for simplicity sake) are carrying and always drop ammo for.
     • your one hit kill knife/wrench/fist/boot/wizard hat
     • the unlimited ammo quicksave button
  6. Though your game has a short runtime, it'll make up for that with...
     • multiplayer
     • collectables
     • varied difficulty levels
     • greyer and browner nazis than anyones seen before
  7. To bring people into your game, you'll want to combine the adernaline of combat with...
     • horror themes to keep players on their toes
     • slightly homoerotic overtones of brotherly comraderie
     • very homoerotic overtones of brotherly comraderie
     • cursing
     • homoerotic cursing
  8. Despite the short run time, to keep people from getting bored you'll provide a break in the action with...
     • cutscenes
     • vehicle sequences with awkward controls
     • stealth sequences with awkward controls
     • nazi stacking puzzle minigame with awkward controls
     • slightly different looking grey and brown nazis who carry weapons you can't pick up for some reason
  9. Though your game may feature multiple types of multiplayer, you'll specialize in...
     • co-op
     • four player deathmatch
     • barren online multiplayer
     • broken online multiplayer
     • competitive nazi stacking puzzle minigame
  10. Congratulations! Your game has released! Your first DLC...
      • fixes all the bugs your rushed game had when sent to market
      • was the end of the game you'ld already finished but figured you could charge five more bucks for
      • makes your space marine look like a wizard marine (or vice versa!)
      • unbalances or destroys whatever multiplayer mode people were enjoying

  Well, I hope that helps everyone!

  • Posted Mar 20, 2009 12:35 pm PT
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• 21Apr 08

  Mortal Kombat vs DC, can, and will it work?

  Mortal Kombat is the prime example of mediocre. Never bad enough to be retired along with other fighting games, but never holding its own in the big leagues with titles like Street Fighter, Virtua Fighter, and Soul Calibur.

  This post is ENTIRELY inspired by MK vs DC (Or is it MK vs DCU?), a game that, really sounds like a bad april fools day joke (I mean come on, Marvel vs. Street Fighter. I don't have to point this out.) I'll admit to not having personally purchased an MK game in, well probably a decade now, but thankfully I have a friend who still religiously picks up the series so I've played my share through the various installments. And, being a bit of a fighting game enthusiast, I can see that the series is a decidedly casual one. It lacks depth, sophistication, and proper balance, and instead has large, large lists of similiar characters (often looking as though you took similiar models and slapped fresh clothes on them, down to similiar standing, moving, punching animations), through in lots of blood, gore, and fanservice (minigames aplenty.)

  That's fine, I've got no problem with it, it works in its own way, but it really is just an average series that through properly playing off controversy has managed to worm its way into the hearts of millions, and then to tear said hearts out at the sound of 'Finish Him'.

  Changing gears, DC is one of the top comic book publishers in the U.S., and depending on who you ask it's either just above or just behind Marvel (you'll find, I think, the fanboyism has died down a bit, I find fewer and fewer people insulting one of the series to bolster the other.) That being said, DC has never produced good games. While Marvel has been hit or miss, DC has been almost entirely miss (save for a few Batman titles here and there. No wonder he's the one on the cover of MK vs DC.) One of the main problems is that DC heroes are very poorly 'balanced', and I don't mean Batman vs. Superman, that's a more even matchup than most might think. It's easy to translate heroes like Spiderman and Wolverine into games, they're both skilled fighters who get by on stealth and agility as much as strength. Batman is in a similiar vein, allowing player skill to translate into his stats. But characters like Superman are just too hard to make a game about, with so few things damaging him (and to be honest, he's not the most disciplined fighter, more from the 'I'm so much stronger and faster than you I don't need technique' school of fighting.) When you watch Marvel vs. Capcom in action, you somewhat 'believe' that Ryu and Spiderman could have an even match. Could Scorpion really stand up to the Flash?

  It'll depend on the gameplay, it's way too early to say, but I'm going to ask two questions here, and we'll start with the most important, CAN MK vs DC work?

  Yes. It can.

  MK needs to remember what appeals to its fans, which is, basically, fan service. Unfortunately, a non M rating is going to take the needed gore out of the game, but little nods and asides to the series can make it.

  DC fans well, they've never been pleased before, they've had nothing but garbage thrown at them, and all they need is a fun game. It doesn't have to be stellar, it doesn't have to reinvent the wheel, but it needs to be entertaining. Superman is a wash, he'll never be made fun in a fighting game and I think most people accept that. But Batman, the Flash, these people can be, and they need ot be done up properly, fan service wise, by taking a lesson from Marvel vs. Capcom.

  Let's look at one of the more popular Marvel choices from the vs series, Spiderman. He's got all of the web moves, and he mentions 'spider' in his attacks, he even has web shielding. But what makes Spiderman memorable in the series? His fighting stance, bent over, shifting back and forth. It's classic spiderman, that's how he looks when he fights, performing flips and jumps, unnecessary feets of agility to keep his opponents on their toes. Another good example is Wolverine, his bestial nature is well captured in all of his character animations.

  Midway needs to take a look at the incoming DC bunch and do them properly, the Flash will not look right in the standard MK fighter pose of one arm forward, one tucked in, rocking back and forth from one foot to the other. If they'd just done Spiderman standing up straight he'd never have had the appeal he has now. The Flash needs to churn his feet in place, probably have some blur effect going. His movement speed needs to be fast, and his dash should probably be barely watchable. Balance is not what is important here, you can go for balance, make his attacks weaker and easier to hit with, but balance should come after you've made the character 'feel' like the Flash. It'd have been easier in 2D, but in 3D, there's still a shot.

  Also, it needs online play. Online is the new Arcade for fighting games, and lag free online play is huge for a game.

  Well, if it can work will it work? That really is the question that's harder to answer, but if I had to bet?

  No, it won't.

  If I had to just guess, I'm going to say it'll come out 'Ok'. The MK people will look, feel, and play like MK people, and the DC people will look, fell, and play like MK people. DC fans will be somewhat happy to have a playable fighter with their heroes, but Batman will feel less like actually using Batman and more like using another ninja. Considering DC is more protective of their franchise, it'll be less likely to see them in big bobble headed puzzle minigames and the like, and I think MK fans might realize how much they actually miss the tongue in cheek way MK realizes that fighting itself is a very small part of it's overall game property.

  The game won't be an epic fail, but no ones going to be playing it for years to come. Still, it's too early to nail it in the coffin, and as someone who often ends up playing MK, and who has some fondness for DC (I rather hope The Question will be in it, though I'm going to assume Rorshach is just getting my hopes up too high), I want them to succeed. I'll keep a half eye on it, not something I'm really looking all that forward to, but they'll have to do a lot of convincing to get me hyped.

  • Posted Apr 21, 2008 5:47 am PT
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• 21Apr 08

  The next evolution for a few Classic Series

  I've always pondered where games should go next, especially favorite titles from my youth. A good example of a series that has aged well is Mario, sticking to core mechanics, the gameplay has remained solid over his many staring titles, taking better to 3D than any other platform hero, consistently delivering new and fun innovations.

  So, with the next generation in full swing, it's time, I think, to post some thoughts on where some classic series should be going, I'm going to start with the one who needs the biggest reboot.

  Sonic

  Oh Sonic... what happened to you? Sonic 1, 2, 3 and 'and Knuckles' were all brilliant gaming, but since then most of what has been released (aside from some of the portable 2D titles) has gone distinctly downhill, starting at average and dropping into the pathetic. Shadow the Hedgehog takes the... odd gameplay choice of punishing you for moving through a level quickly (That to me is more of an afront to Sonic gameplay than guns or even vehicles), while 'Sonic the Hedgehog' includes the... odd choice of having a human female love interest.

  I'm going to harken back to how I fealt playing the first 3D Sonic title, Sonic Adventure. I saw it as an ambitious, but flawed, step in the right direction, and the game I imagined coming eventually was something along the lines of what Shadows of the Collasus delivered. What I want is, an open world Sonic game.

  Sonic has already shown perfection in 2D platforming, and I really have no problem with more of those coming out, but if he really wants to step up and evolve, he's going to have to resist mission and level based structure. Levels shouldn't contain Sonic, they were just tools to showcase his speed, but with todays gameplay systems, they're just in the way of showing off true Sonic moves.

  A Sonic game should be made with an open objective to 'Collect the Chaos Emeralds', without giving you their locations, just placing you in a large world full of various paths for you to explore and enjoy. Loops, narrow mountain paths, even springs can be strewn with care and percision to create ways the game 'intends' for you to take, while leaving the freedom for you to really explore the world at your own pace, as long as that pace is fast. Give the player room and time to build up to some impressive speed, forget about most of the trash enemies, they just serve as an excuse to slow Sonic down, just leave bosses and the environment to serve as obstacles and danger for our quick footed hero. Don't constrain him with invisible walls or boundaries, let the world try and contain him.

  Pokemon

  Hey, I'm still a pokemaniac, and going online was a brilliant direction for the series, especially for me since I don't have as many friends hanging around to battle and trade with. That being said, the core gameplay hasn't really changed all that much, and the 2D, unanimated sprites are starting to get a little stale. Mystery Dungeon and offshoot titles aside, I think unless the next game throws some innovation at us, it's not going to get the stellar reviews this cherished series once did. So, what do I think it needs?

  3D graphics- It's almost criminal that we still have to wait for the home console titles to see our pokemon on 3D, considering the power of the DS handheld. Stop giving us little back and forth wiggles and two frames and start giving us at least something nice to look at. Plus, you're going to need 3D if you take my other thoughts in mind.

  Non-Turn Based Structure- Here's where I know I'm going to lose a lot of Pokemon fans but, turn based gameplay is just very out of date. I know that it makes Pokemon very 'technical' but it also restricts it to a straight by the numbers game. I always enjoyed Pokemon more as a kid without knowing about EV's and how to properly build a special sweeper, and bolt-beam combo's and choice banders. My vision of a properly 'evolved' Pokemon title would take combat in some form of overhead style camera, where you tap on a spot to direct your Pokemon to move there, and use either facebuttons or icons to initate attacks. This really opens up the range for attacks to be 'different'. Iron tail might have a good sweeping radius damage to make it easier to hit with, while rock throw might have the bonus of ranged damage to let you not worry so much about quicker pokemon keeping their distance. It also would better convey the 'feel' of directing your Pokemon as a trainer. Final Fantasy has been working to shed it's turn based roots, and I think it's about time for Pokemon to do the same. It'll disenfranchise the 'min/max tournament' crowd, but it would make the game tons more fun (and more open for players of various skill levels to compete). Balls would actually have to be thrown in a system like this, could really introduce some fun mechanics. 2v2 matches would also be much greater tests of skill, and it'd be easier to include 'loyalty' style systems where they're harder to control without proper badging.

  Pokemon 'Pal'- Along with 3D gameplay, you should be able to have a 'pikachu'. Just a pokemon always out of his ball following you around when you're walking if you want. Maybe some restrictions on oh... Onix and it's brethren, not that I'm saying it's impossible but I'll forgive them if they don't let me have a Tyranitaur following me around, but I should at least get to have a Growlithe nipping at my heels.

  Psychonauts

  Psychonauts needs to evolve by... having a new game. Even if it's something totally different with similiar humor titled a 'Spiritual Successor'. But yeah, not having a game hasn't been working for the series, so having a new game might be a step in the right direction.

  I have some other thoughts, notably on Mortal Kombat, but I'm going to just write up another post about... well... everything that's wrong with Mortal Kombat, because it'll take up too much space here.

  • Posted Apr 21, 2008 5:13 am PT
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