Gameplay?

I'm developing my first game which is a Sci-Fi FPS. It's going to be a story driven game and I'm really puzzled about how the gameplay will be. I want to create something that will keep players hooked. Here's what I've been thinking of :

In all levels you:
1. Destroy enemies(botz monsters)

2. Find useful items such as money to purchase weapons from dispenses, keys to open locked doors maps to maneuver around

3. Find collectibles.

I'll also throw in a couple easter eggs to keep it fun. The environment is going to be Sci-Fi, similar to AngryBotz.

Tell me what you think.

 

Sounds kind of generic. What is different from any other sci fi FPS?

 

Hmm...i haven't really thought that through. I want it to be exiting - Explosions, Awesome guns, Smart AI ,Good looking levels background music.

I'm just struggling coming up with what the player will do other than what i said above. I need to come up with objectives and stuff, but what sort of objectives? Find an certain item, Kill all enemies in the room, Go to a certain location...

Any ideas?

 

think of maybe a story behind it that is interesting

 

Thanks for the reply.
Coming up with a story line wont be that hard. The hard part is keeping the players glued with objectives and enjoyable things to do.
Any suggestions?

 

I want you to take into account that the following is just a personal opinion, and nothing more.

You are talking about a "story driven" videogame, and instead immediately you start to talk about collectibles, money, buy guns and kill enemies. All that can be fun, I guess, if that's what you're looking for your project, but it's not what makes me return to a game. If you main concern is the story, then make the game about the story. If the game has a main character, think about this:

What could he do in this situation?
Who could he talk?
To whom could he ask for help?
Where can he go now?

Consider this an exercise:

Before approving any idea for the game, ask yourself: If this were a movie or even a book, would it be logical that something like this happen? Would it be appropriate for the atmosphere I want to achieve, for the type of genre, for this particular moment and place? You will realize that most of what happens in most games makes no sense, and serves purposes that have nothing to do with the "story". In most games the story is merely decorative and doesn't have much to do with the gameplay.

And here's a little tip: If you are in doubt, ask the player. That's right. Most games are like a person, or group of people, talking to you, the player. I prefer to think of it more as a conversation. We are in this together, you and me, the game designer and the player. I don't want everything to be about the designer telling me what to do or feel. I want the game also ask me questions, request my opinion, and react accordingly.

Don't know if the character should react violently to something, or try to calm down and act peacefully? Ask the player! Don't know if the character, a detective, should heed his captain, and go to sleep for the night, or return to the archives for further research? Ask the player! Don't know if the character should tell her husband that she is seeing someone else? Guess what? Ask the player!

Put yourself in that situation, as if you were really there, and ask yourself what you'd do, what the player might want to do, and make it possible, but not obvious. Options if what I want in videogames, feel that I am who decides, instead of being led by the hand by someone else.

And play Omikron. That's what I would look for a futuristic game. No just shooting and collectibles. There are more than enough of that. Characters and drama and inmersion. But if you want to putt collectibles in the game think about lore: magazines, web pages, television shows, etc. Things that talk about the world and make it more deep and believable, things that make the player feel that he is really there and that he's integral to the story, not just a mere spectator.

 

If this is your first game you should be focusing on writing Pong and then a Pacman clone. The sci fi FPS can come a few games later.

 

Thanks AlejandroRiot , this all got me thinking. Thanks for the help.

I'm aiming for something bigger than that.

 

Upgrades!

And customizables!

 

you should read gigi's stickied post

 

Yeah i was actually thinking of doing this but had a few doubts cuz the only mods that i can think of are Scopes, Laser Sight Extended Magazines. Having 3 mods is a good as having none at all. So, I'm thinking of putting pre-customized weapons instead of mods.

 

Link?

Edit : Found it!

 

Keep it simple. Don't clutter. Replay first Doom and take notes.

 

You totally missed my point, then.

 

Your point was to make me understand that i should work my way up, right?

Well, i just thought of going for something that gamers will enjoy. Arcade games like pacman are fun but lets face it, retro is a thing of the past. I mean, would you rather play ShadowGun or something like Space Invaders? Definitely ShadowGun, right?

 

It's not for gamers, It's for you.

and btw I'd rather play space invaders.

 

I'm not making this game for myself. If i was, i wouldn't be asking for peoples opinions on Game Play.

 

When he says its for you, I'm assuming he's talking about the learning process for game development. Developing a game of any type can be challenging. What most of us are saying is develop a simple game to get the grasp of game development then move on to something you want to release. But they're assuming you have no clue or experience. So to answer your original question....ill get back to you on that when i come with something.

 

But to get experience? In actually making something people will enjoy? I think it's a very bad idea to make a game that's not for you. How can you possibly put your heart in to it, and make it amazing, with that attitude?

 

Thanks for the comment.
My attitude towards my first game is good. I think that to make a good game, you have to love your idea and off-course get feedback from others to know what they think mainly because they're the target audience and that's why i say the game isn't for me. I'll play test it and everything but being the developer, you already know everything that will occur during the game making it less exciting for you. The development stage is the fun part

 

I actually have lots of fun playing my own stuff, even if I only have a prototype demo and it's really small.

Regarding think small, I think you have to try to make a little game first. With "little game" I mean duration, not type of game. Definitely don't re-do an old game or make a 2D side scrolling game or something like that, at least that's exactly what you want. (This is only my opinion, of course.) Make the game you want to play but can't, because doesn't exist. But don't make a 20 hour game if you can avoid it neither.

Maybe you can make your game in chapters. That's awesome, because you can try to finish something playable in maybe three months, and then, if you like it, you can continue with the second chapter, and so on. That way you can obtain feedback very soon, without having to wait years. Think in the Telltale games: an episode at a time. That's the way I would do it.

Again, this is just my point of view on this matter. Good luck in your project.

 

There are multiple reasons why people keep always suggesting remaking old small games:

- Not unreasonable complex. Making games is hard and even if you are experienced it's easy to underestimate how much work even seemingly easy things will end up actually being. Bite too much and you project will end up being in an limbo.

- Content light. Making content for your game takes a whole lot of man hours and always has diminishing returns. Another sure way to get your game never done.

- Learn from the best. Games like Pacman aren't classics adored by gamers by chance and are often games in their purest forms. Remaking those games helps you understand what makes them great and gives you opportunities to experiment with their designs. Besides if you can't create AI for Pacman then you can't create AI for more complex games.

- Helps you build up your own library. Making small games isn't away from your big game. You can and you will reuse code and other assets from your old projects. With a wide range of small projects to exploit you don't have to reinvent the wheel.

- Your first game will suck anyway. You may not want to spend years making a game nobody won't care about. You can't make a sci-fi FPS game as good as first level of first Doom but keeping it small and mimicking grandmasters can help to make it less sucky.

I think you should just do whatever you find most enjoyable, though. That's most important.

 

Yeah, i guess you guys are right. I guess i am taking a big step by going for something like a Sci-Fi FPS, which is pretty hard to do all alone. Think i'll start with something easier like an endless runner. The levels will be a tonne easier to design and i wont have to focus so much on objectives, weapon mods, AI etc.

 

A sci-fi FPS for your first game is totally achievable [Points to own game.]! Just don't expect to be done overnight.

 

So much this.

Even today Doom is still as good as when it first came out.