Comments on: Monday Musings: Shooting For The Future

By: Vanguard

Vanguard — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 01:41:55 +0000

I’d be all for it if it didn’t sound like rpgs are going the way of the point and click adventure game.

By: pk

pk — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 07:50:24 +0000

a ‘/’ implies AND/OR

> I think this is a very narrow view of what makes a gamer

My entire comment was about competitive multiplayer FPS gamers, and I made no attempt to belittle other gamers. Neither did I attempt to define some sort of taxonomy of ‘hardcore vs casual’. When I said ‘hardcore’, I meant ‘competitive’, and in hindsight I should not have used the word ‘hardcore’.

By: Sean N

Sean N — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 07:07:57 +0000

I don’t agree with your reference to “hardcore” gamers being those that play competitively online and all other gamers are “casual” gamers.

I think this is a very narrow view of what makes a gamer. Not all hardcore gamers play competitively nor do they need to.

By: Dylan Sale

Dylan Sale — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 06:39:02 +0000

I agree. TF2 was great fun until I had to start grinding to get unlocks. It’s still fun, but I feel like I am missing out without having those guns.

But yeah like most people say, they are really just taking some of the systems that RPGs tend to use and putting them in Shooters. You can have RPGs without leveling systems and equipment upgrades, and those things do not make a shooter into an RPG.

By: Sam Lawrence

Sam Lawrence — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 05:12:26 +0000

Ill also add to the comment about COD 4’s RPG leveling system, I think Killzone 2 added to that by adding a Class system ontop of the Leveling system. It wasnt, by far, the first FPS to have a class system but I think it gave it an extra reason to level up.

By: Ayrton Coll

Ayrton Coll — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 05:06:22 +0000

The thing is RPGs don’t have to be about giving control over stats or exploration, they can simply be about giving control over the story your characters personality, whether shooter or not those are the kind of RPGs I like. First person shooting is a good addition to RPGs becuase usually they employ a stats based hooting system (which is what turned me of KOTR), Oblivion can technically be called an RPG shooter if you choose to use magic or archery. Basically it give better immersion and flow to game play by giving you more direct control over combat rather than a kind of dice rolling system or turn based combat. I just hope that they only take the fun game play and not the awful-non-existent storyline (Gears of War) from shooters.

By: pk

pk — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 04:58:49 +0000

It hurts competitive multiplayer FPS.

Adding RPG elements to an FPS takes a lot of skill out of FPS games, and in many cases, is simply a cheap tactic to make the game more addictive instead of improving the core mechanics. I am talking here about multiplayer FPS only, not singleplayer, in which it is a fantastic addition.

One of the primary requirements of a competitive FPS game is that it should be a test of the player’s skill and not a function of how much time they have spent grinding XP. When competing with an opponent in a test of skill, both players should start with a clean slate and equal stats/abilities. Persistent RPG elements that modifiy game mechanics only warp the otherwise even playing field.

However, most developers do not really care about the hardcore/competitive multiplayer community, as the focus shifts further towards the casual gamer audience, who primarily focus on single player/co-op with mates.

By: ttxy_grlz

ttxy_grlz — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 04:56:51 +0000

@NegativeZero I don’t think they are saying that BioShock is an RPG. I think the argument is that the categories need to be re-thought. In other words, it takes RPG elements. I guess at some level, they argue it could be classified as an RPG, but that isn’t the upshot of the article.

But with regard to your statement, I don’t see how calling BioShock an RPG does a disservice.

By: Sean N

Sean N — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 04:28:23 +0000

Nice pieace David.

Doesn’t the question of where games head really depend on the consumer. The games which sell will ultimately be the ones that get made.

While I don’t understand why, some gamers don’t like the wide open spaces and self directed gameplay of open world RPG type games. The time investment in open world games is much greater than the pick up and play style of corridor shooters.

Having said that, the games that you mention above have contributed more to the shooter than most other games that I can think of recently. But have they contributed in the same way to the RPG genre?

By: murray

murray — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 04:26:43 +0000

For me the trappings of an RPG is the roleplaying. If you can’t make any meaningful decisions, it doesn’t matter how much it’s dressed up, it’s not an RPG.
You can add inventory, xp, whatever the hell you like. If you aren’t making decisions and shaping your character you’re not roleplaying at all. You’re just collecting loot and leveling.
Fallout 3 is probably the best of the RPG to shooter conversions.
Shooter to RPG? Probably Stalker. Maybe GTA ? *shrug*