FPS essentials

[anvi]

Why would it bother me you weird cunt. Why don't you just buy a real gun and do what you are clearly desperate to do? You cowardly 3rd world scum shit.

 

[Lemming42]

Hey Vlajdermen, I just remembered some great games which are perfect for what you've asked for in this thread. Try these!

Counter-Strike
Team Fortress 2
Fortnite
Unreal Tournament
Quake 3 Arena
Day of Defeat
PUBG
Overwatch
Half-Life 2 Deathmatch
Call of Duty Multiplayer

 

[Morenatsu.]

Codex HL2DM would be amazing.

Hey Vladmirbeastman, 1v1 me in UT

 

[Zariusz]

Add Dust/Pył 1998 by Optimus Nexus

 

[Bad Sector]

I played it a few years ago for the first time and it feels like little more than a tech demo, it's still entertaining but not worth much consideration beyond a historical perspective. You can breeze through it in half an afternoon anyways.
However, I found the sequels (Catacomb Adventure Series) to be actually interesting games in their own right: the environments are more fleshed out both visually and by adding some flavour text and the enemies are more dangerous and placed cleverly, making for challenging and engaging experiences.

I agree, id was shoving those out as a contractual obligation to Softdisk so they saw little love, but Softdisk's own artists made a much better job there with the EGA palette and the cartoony fantasy graphics they made. Adrian Carmack and Kevin Cloud did a great job with the VGA graphics in id's later games, but IMO Softdisk had better EGA artists.

Also the EGA palette is very underused in retro FPS games... there is a DOS game jam going on again, i was thinking of using the Post Apocalyptic Petra engine for it but i might try doing something with EGA instead (assuming i bother doing anything).

Add Dust/Pył 1998 by Optimus Nexus

If people find Shogo's on-foot sections annoying, they'd hate this :-P. But great tech and environments considering when it was released and a shame it remained so obscure (even gamedev poles i know largely have no idea this existed).

 

[Morpheus Kitami]

I agree, id was shoving those out as a contractual obligation to Softdisk so they saw little love, but Softdisk's own artists made a much better job there with the EGA palette and the cartoony fantasy graphics they made. Adrian Carmack and Kevin Cloud did a great job with the VGA graphics in id's later games, but IMO Softdisk had better EGA artists.

Also the EGA palette is very underused in retro FPS games... there is a DOS game jam going on again, i was thinking of using the Post Apocalyptic Petra engine for it but i might try doing something with EGA instead (assuming i bother doing anything).

Wait...the trilogy games were still EGA? I always assumed those titles were VGA with just a lower amount of colors. That makes the whole thing more impressive. They already were since they were done in such a short period of time.

 

[mogwaimon]

well all you really need is Doom when it comes to FPS and maybe the Build Engine trio but if you insist...

Redneck Rampage (lawl)
Postal 2
Shadow Warrior 2 (i'll get shit on for this but it's one of the few modern shooters that has something other than AKs and M4s and SCARs and whatever for weapons and dashing around cutting up monsters is pretty fun...just it's not as good as the original)
Wolfenstein (the 2009 one. decent, not essential, but you've pretty much got all the essentials on your list anyways)
50 Cent Blood on the Sand
Duke Nukem Zero Hour

aight have fun!

 

[Vlajdermen]

you've got doom 1 on the top, which is where it belongs, but you don't got half life 1 or quake 1 alongside it?

c'mon bruh

I thought quake was good in its own right but vastly inferior to doom , but if I stated that in the OP people would just assume I'm being contrarian and that could overshadow the point of the thread, so I decided to omit it. I haven't played Q2, but I have tried Q4 and it's surprisingly solid.

 

[JarlFrank]

Quake 1 is the best FPS ever made.

You can't change my mind.

 

[<3sRichardSimmons]

you've got doom 1 on the top, which is where it belongs, but you don't got half life 1 or quake 1 alongside it?

c'mon bruh

I thought quake was good in its own right but vastly inferior to doom , but if I stated that in the OP people would just assume I'm being contrarian and that could overshadow the point of the thread, so I decided to omit it. I haven't played Q2, but I have tried Q4 and it's surprisingly solid.

I’m well-known around here as a Q2 apologist, but it’s pretty objectively inferior to the first game. First time I’ve seen someone praise Q4 though. I’ve never managed to get more than 30 minutes in before the game puts me to sleep.

 

[samuraigaiden]

If you don't have stealth gameplay and you don't have mid mission objectives, your FPS is shit.

Quake is great but it would've been way better with stealth and mid mission objectives. Even id people admit this. They tried to make a better game, couldn't get it together in a timely fashion and midway through gave up and made another Doom on the new engine.

someone praise Q4

Quake 4 is underrated. I think most people didn't give a chance because they associate it with Doom 3 and/or really wanted more Quake 3.

Not saying it's a timeless classic. But it's pretty good and way, way better than Doom 3.

Quake 1 is the best FPS ever made.

You can't change my mind.

Maybe with the grappling hook mod, but the original game was lacking several areas. The last episode is a nose dive in quality, the last boss is retarded game design.

 

[<3sRichardSimmons]

I’m not sure that “way better than Doom 3” is enough of an endorsement for me to give Q4 another chance, but maybe someday.

 

[samuraigaiden]

I'll tell you one thing. It's a way more interesting game in the higher difficulty modes, which is a positive in my book.

 

[schru]

Quake is not on the same level of excellence as Doom, but it's still a great shooter. Quake II can be enjoyable in its own way, more for the atmosphere and the architecture of the levels.

Quake 4 is pretty awful though as it combines Raven's weak combat design/balance with that early awkward phase when shooters still retained some surface trappings of old school design, but were becoming very linear and tediously scripted. On top of that, it was also designed for consoles and it doesn't use the visual strengths of the engine very well. Doom 3, despite its flaws and when considered apart from what the originals were, is a much more enjoyable game.

 

[Morenatsu.]

Quake has some flaws compared to Doom, but ‘vastly inferior’? Maybe on a scale of 9 to 10, lols. Quake 4 is sheeeeeeiiiit, mega decline of the quality 90s popamole that is Quake 2.

Also how could you ninja me like that, schru, it's not fair.

If you don't have stealth gameplay and you don't have mid mission objectives, your FPS is shit.

Sin is best FPS of all time, confirmed.

 

[JarlFrank]

If you don't have stealth gameplay and you don't have mid mission objectives, your FPS is perfectly focused, sleek, and elegant.

Fixed.

That's why Quake 1 is the best FPS of them all, and its fan maps (stuff like Arcane Dimensions and the regularly released map jams by Quake mappers) are among the best fan-made content out there.

Quake is pure. It does not burden itself with anything extraneous or unnecessary. Its weapons are satisfying. Its enemies are challenging when used right by the level designer. Its movement is fast and precise. It is perfect in its purity - there is only the map, and you explore it and shoot enemies until you've reached the end. All the challenge, mystery, and excitement comes from the core principles of FPS design, not from any quirky extraneous features like stealth or overly complex mission objectives.

There is only you, your shotgun, and the HUNH as you jump.

 

[Morenatsu.]

By that logic Wolfenstein 3D is the best game evar.

 

[JarlFrank]

By that logic Wolfenstein 3D is the best game evar.

No because it has not yet perfected the movement, combat, and level design in the same way Quake did.

 

[Morenatsu.]

But maybe we just haven't perfected stealth and objectives yet.

 

[<3sRichardSimmons]

But maybe we just haven't perfected stealth and objectives yet.

It’s called Thief, and it’s definitely not a FPS.

 

[Morenatsu.]

But Thief IS an FPS.

First
Person
Stealth game

It also has shooting in the form of arrows, and all FPSes are actually action-adventure games anyway.

 

[JarlFrank]

But maybe we just haven't perfected stealth and objectives yet.

Yes, we have.

It's called Thief: The Dark Project.

 

[Morenatsu.]

Thief is just an FPS with slow guns.

 

[Nifft Batuff]

Resident Evil Survivor was fun.

 

[Ash]

Quake is pure. It does not burden itself with anything extraneous or unnecessary.

Defending lazy game design.

Its weapons are satisfying.

half of them are largely redundant and feel like shit. Steps back from Doom design.

Its enemies are challenging when used right by the level designer.

What's there is pretty solid but there is once again a marked decline from Doom:

-Vores, Shamblers and Spawns have to be used very rarely to avoid being annoying. These are the only high tier enemies and they're all dangerously close to being annoying unless used sparingly and with special unique placement.
-Less overall variety.
-Arbitrary rule that the game's zombiemen equivalent cannot be used in the gothic-themed maps which make up 95% of the game. Doom gave no fucks for such lame "realism".

Its movement is fast and precise.

Time to stop after moving is arguably too prolonged. There is minimal air control. Both reduce the fun and depth that could have been realised with the game's verticality and platforming. Otherwise perfection, yes.

It is perfect in its purity - there is only the map, and you explore it and shoot enemies until you've reached the end. All the challenge, mystery, and excitement comes from the core principles of FPS design, not from any quirky extraneous features like stealth or overly complex mission objectives.

Certainly needs no stealth. And there is indeed beauty in its simplicity, but Doom is overall the better game.

There is only you, your shotgun, and the HUNH as you jump.

"Dead simple" was one singular level in Doom. And short. A follow up game featuring dead simple design concepts was a little disappointing, to me.

Still, the game is for sure top 10 FPS of all time material, but #1? Doom or a build game for me, probably. Quake is really fucking good but I can't bring myself to rate it #1 due to the declined steps back from Doom.
Consider that your view of it has likely been skewed by years of fan-made user maps, Arcane Dimensions (which does pretty important shit like add much-needed new enemies) and whatever else.
Quake adding true 3D level design, proper mouselook, platforming and such was incline over Doom, but the arsenal and enemy lineup is one step forward and at least two back. Perhaps you shall witness what I mean when I finally get around to releasing the final iteration of my mod, as arsenal and enemy roster is largely all it focuses on.