FPS essentials

[Ol' Willy]

First time I’ve seen someone praise Q4 though

Quake 4 is decent, aside from vehicle sections

Play on top difficulty obviously

 

[luj1]

Ages back I tried to make a personal list of the history of shooter games, for my own use, since while I don't possess great skill at shooters, they have been with me my whole gaming life. I remember the hype surrounding big releases like Quake and Unreal, as well as the sheer relish of shooters set within my favorite settings like Star Wars and Star Trek. The list isn't complete, you can probably find much better ones, it's also weirdly organized into periods around major graphical leaps, but I tried to list some major releases I remember, and milestones, and who made what, with what engine. Here is the list from an old .txt, for anyone interested (I'm not saying all these are "essential", just a bit of reference):

--------------------------------
Wolfenstein/Doom/Heretic/Dark Forces Era
--------------------------------
1992: Wolfenstein 3D
1993: Doom ((id Tech 1))
1994: Doom II ((id Tech 1))
1994: Heretic ((id Tech 1))
1995: HeXen ((id Tech 1))
1995: Star Wars: Dark Forces ((Jedi Engine))
1995: Duke Nukem 3D ((Build Engine))
1996: HeXen 2 ((id Tech 1))

------------------------------------------------------
Quake-Engine/Quake II-Engine/Turok/Jedi Knight/Half-Life Era
------------------------------------------------------
1996: Quake ((id Tech 2))
1996: PowerSlave ((Build Engine))
1997: Blood ((Build Engine))
1997: Quake II ((id Tech 2))
1997: Goldeneye 007
1997: Star Wars: Dark Forces II - Jedi Knight ((Sith Engine))
1997: Turok: Dinosaur Hunter
1998: Delta Force
1998: Half-Life ((GoldSrc Engine based on Quake))
1998: Heretic II
1999: Kingpin ((id Tech 2))
1999: Aliens versus Predator
1999: System Shock 2 ((Dark Engine of Thief Series))
1999: Delta Force 2
1999: Rainbow Six: Rogue Spear
2000: Soldier of Fortune ((id Tech 2))
2000: Serious Sam

---------------------------------------------------------------
Unreal-Engine/Quake III-Engine/Return to Castle Wolfenstein/Star Trek Era
---------------------------------------------------------------
1998: Unreal ((Unreal Engine))
1998: Star Trek: Klingon Honor Guard ((Unreal Engine))
1999: Unreal Tournament ((Unreal Engine))
1999: Quake III ((id Tech 3))
2000: Deus Ex ((Unreal Engine))
2000: Star Trek: Elite Force ((id Tech 3))
2001: Serious Sam 2
2001: Clive Barker's Undying ((Unreal Engine))
2001: Return to Castle Wolfenstein ((id Tech 3))
2001: Aliens versus Predator II ((Lithtech Talon))
2001: Max Payne
2001: Halo
2001: Red Faction
2002: Soldier of Fortune II ((id Tech 3))
2002: Star Wars Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast
2003: Call of Duty ((id Tech 3))
2003: Star Trek: Elite Force II ((id Tech 3))
2003: Star Wars Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy
2003: Call of Duty ((id Tech 3))
2003: Max Payne 2
2004: Halo 2
2004: Far Cry ((CryEngine 1))

-------------------------------------------------------------
Unreal II/Source-Engine/Doom III/Gears of War/Borderlands Era
-------------------------------------------------------------
2002: Unreal Tournament 2003 ((Unreal Engine 2))
2003: Unreal II ((Unreal Engine 2))
2003: Deus Ex: Invisible War ((Unreal Engine 2))
2004: Doom 3 ((id Tech 4))
2004: Killzone
2004: Unreal Tornament 2004 ((Unreal Engine 2))
2004: Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines ((Source Engine))
2004: Half-Life 2 ((Source Engine))
2004: Painkiller
2004: Star Wars: Battlefront
2005: Call of Duty 2
2005: Quake 4 ((id Tech 4))
2005: F.E.A.R ((Lithtech Jupiter EX))
2005: Star Wars: Battlefront II
2006: Call of Duty 3
2006: Prey ((id Tech 4))
2006: Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter ((Diesel Engine for GRAW))
2006: Gears of War ((Unreal Engine 3))
2006: Lost Planet
2006: Resistance: Fall of Man
2006: Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Vegas ((Unreal Engine 3))
2007: BioShock ((Unreal Engine 2.5))
2007: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare
2007: Crysis ((CryEngine 2))
2007: The Darkness
2007: Clive Barker's Jericho
2007: Portal ((Source Engine))
2007: Unreal Tournament 3 ((Unreal Engine 3))
2007: Call of Duty 4
2007: S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl
2008: Dark Sector
2008: Far Cry 2
2008: Gears of War II ((Unreal Engine 3))
2008: Resistence 2
2008: Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Vegas 2 ((Unreal Engine 3))
2009: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
2009: Killzone 2
2009: Wolfenstein ((id Tech 4))
2009: Borderlands ((Unreal Engine 3))
2010: Aliens vs. Predator
2010: Bioshock 2
2010: Medal of Honor
2010: Metro 2033
2011: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3
2011: Portal 2 ((Source Engine))
2011: Brink ((id Tech 4))
2011: Gears of War III ((Unreal Engine 3))
2011: Killzone 3
2011: Resistence 3
2012: Borderlands 2 ((Unreal Engine 3))
2012: Far Cry 3
2012: Spec Ops: The Line ((Unreal Engine 3))
2012: Aliens: Colonial Marines ((Unreal Engine 3))
2013: BioShock Infinite ((Unreal Engine 3))
2013: Call of Duty: Ghosts
2014: Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel ((Unreal Engine 3))
[INCOMPLETE]

-------------------------
id Tech 5/Unreal Engine 4
-------------------------
2011: Crysis 2 ((CryEngine 3))
2011: Deus Ex: Human Revolution
2011: Rage ((id Tech 5))
2013: Crysis 3 ((CryEngine 3))
2013: Killzone: Shadow Fall
2014: Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare
2014: Far Cry 4
2014: Wolfenstein: The New Order ((id Tech 5))
2015: Wolfenstein: The Old Blood ((id Tech 5))
[INCOMPLETE]

---------
id Tech 6
---------
2016: Doom ((id Tech 6))
[INCOMPLETE]

Here is also an incomplete list of some of the more prolific or interesting game engines used, and devs, including a few games that were were notable:

---------------
Shooter Engines
---------------
id Tech 2 (Quake, Quake II, Half-Life)
id Tech 3 (Quake III, Star Trek: Voyager - Elite Force, Solider of Fortune 2, Return to Castle Wolfenstein, Star Wars: Jedi Outcast, etc)
Unreal Engine 1 (Unreal, Unreal Tournament, Star Trek: Klingon Honor Guard, Deus Ex)
Unreal Engine 3 (Gears of War Trilogy, Spec Ops: The Line, Borderlands, etc)
id tech 6 (Doom 2016)
Build Engine (Blood, Witchhaven, Shadow Warrior, Powerslave)
Sith Engine (Star Wars: Dark Forces II - Jedi Knight)

----------
Developers:
----------
id Software [[Doom, Quake, Rage]]
Epic Games [[Unreal, Gears of War]]
Valve [[Half-Life, Portal]]
Gearbox [[Half-Life expansions, Brothers in Arms, Borderlands]]
LucasArts [[Dark Forces]]
Raven Software [[Heretic/HeXen, Soldier of Fortune, Star Wars, Star Trek]]
Crytek [[Far Cry, Crysis]]
Bungie [[Marathon, Halo, Destiny]]

Also, here for reference are some of the major retro revival releases, which revive everything good and imaginative before military shooters took over:

-----------------------
id Tech 7/Retro Revival
-----------------------
2014: Ziggurat
2016: Doom ((id Tech 6))
2018: Project Warlock
2018: Dusk
2019: Amid Evil
2019: Ion Fury ((Build Engine))
2020: Doom Eternal ((id Tech 7))
2020: Hellbound
2021: Arthurian Legends
20??: Dread Templar
20??: Wrath: Aeon of Ruin ((id Tech 2))
20??: Prodeus

It's a big genre. It's hard to pick essentials. So I'm going to just pick out ones I think were imaginative and immersive rather than good in every respect. This means there will be a lot of boomer shooters listed, because they just contained insane conceptual ambition compared to later shooters; satanic invasion forces, alien invasion fleets, hell dimensions, fortresses on lava planets, and frozen million year-old citadels. Even in such a prolific genre as shooters, the entire "boomer shooter" aesthetic died for more than a decade, when games started chasing Hollywood, so I'm totally in awe of what Doom 2016 represented. In terms of atmosphere, setting, etc, I would say people should check out:

• Doom
  
• Doom II
  
• Heretic
• Hexen
• Dark Forces
  
• Quake
  
• Powerslave
  
• Blood
  
• Quake II
• Dark Forces II - Jedi Knight
  
• Turok
• Half-Life
• Aliens versus Predator
  
• Unreal
• Klingon Honor Guard
• Clive Barker's Undying
  
• Return to Castle Wolfenstein

The revival so far:

• Doom
• Dusk
• Amid Evil
• Doom: Eternal
• Arthurian Legends

Remember they are selected for imagination and atmosphere. I'll stop around there, at the era of Quake III and Unreal engines, and a few modern revivals. It's not definitive. I have never played Marathon for example, but that might be another good addition. Those games however, are examples of true geek culture, before the industry was taken away from the Trekkies, Tolkienists and Metalheads who created the games industry, i.e. they still feature hyper imaginative settings, atmosphere, dark fantasy and science fiction concepts, rather than the plebeian fascination with limited real life. They take joy in exploring alternate dimensions, alien empires, hell worlds, and the vast cosmos, with heroic protagonists. Heretic and Hexen for example evoke the kind of arcane dimension found in many a dark multiverse.

/thread

 

[Lemming42]

Quake's a great game but its absolute refusal to have any kind of premise or coherent theme always knocked it back a bit IMO. Call me a filthy storyfag/atmospherefag if you like, but those aspects a big part of any game for me. Doom wouldn't be as good as it is if it weren't for the feeling of isolation and dread it conjures up, and the striking visual representations of the UAC base, hell itself, and the second episode in which hell is encroaching upon and merging with the base on Deimos (or wherever the fuck it is). Same for Blood - unbelievably good level design, enemy roster and combat mechanics, but it's all taken up to the next level by the strange 1920s gothic/occult aesthetics, the very unusual protagonist you take the role of, and the bizarre cultists who don't seem to speak any recognisable language.

I think these aspects play a huge role in what made some of these games so great, and Quake's intentional abandonment of them for "here's some grey-brown rooms and some weird-looking enemies to shoot, get going" meant that it never quite clicked with me in the way that other FPS games from the golden age do, even if it was excellent in terms of things like movement mechanics. A couple of the enemy designs are cool, namely the Shamblers, and the engine can sometimes present you with very impressive visuals, but otherwise it just feels like it's lacking in imagination.

 

[luj1]

Quake 1 is the best FPS ever made.

pretty much objectively yes

add in something like Arcane Dimensions where mapping is perfected and voila, nothing comes close

saying this as someone for whom shooters were his first love, and I played them since floppy era

 

[Morenatsu.]

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".

Of course that's what you'd say. But it matters, actually. No, I don't care what you think, you're wrong. Whether they're there or not is only a difference of type, not quality.

You're being too harsh in general, anyway.

Quake's a great game but its absolute refusal to have any kind of premise or coherent theme always knocked it back a bit IMO. Call me a filthy storyfag/atmospherefag if you like, but those aspects a big part of any game for me. Doom wouldn't be as good as it is if it weren't for the feeling of isolation and dread it conjures up, and the striking visual representations of the UAC base, hell itself, and the second episode in which hell is encroaching upon and merging with the base on Deimos (or wherever the fuck it is). Same for Blood - unbelievably good level design, enemy roster and combat mechanics, but it's all taken up to the next level by the strange 1920s gothic/occult aesthetics, the very unusual protagonist you take the role of, and the bizarre cultists who don't seem to speak any recognisable language.

I think these aspects play a huge role in what made some of these games so great, and Quake's intentional abandonment of them for "here's some grey-brown rooms and some weird-looking enemies to shoot, get going" meant that it never quite clicked with me in the way that other FPS games from the golden age do, even if it was excellent in terms of things like movement mechanics. A couple of the enemy designs are cool, namely the Shamblers, and the engine can sometimes present you with very impressive visuals, but otherwise it just feels like it's lacking in imagination.

Normally I'd agree with the rest of what you said, but Quake is about a nightmare world, and I always felt like the very terse and abstract presentation was not only fitting, but probably the best way to do that. Of course, it only really ended up that way due to particular circumstances in its development, but it's fine regardless.

 

[JarlFrank]

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.

Point considered. Just like with Thief (and Doom, and Tomb Raider) I consider the entire wealth of existing user levels alongside the original levels when ranking the game. And the recent new episode included in the remaster added several levels that combine the "tech" and "eldritch" type enemies in the same area, for example.

That said, I still love the original levels too, and all the fan-made ones only work so well because the foundation is so good: Quake is a smooth and polished FPS experience with few, if any, flaws.

 

[anvi]

One of the most important parts of Quake was QuakeWorld. I didn't like offline Quake much but it was a gaming revolution. By the way, the Arma2 I mentioned earlier and got two retardreds from 2 stupid worthless fucking pieces of shit, was probably the best single player FPS I've seen.

 

[anvi]

pretty much objectively yes

add in something like Arcane Dimensions where mapping is perfected and voila, nothing comes close

saying this as someone for whom shooters were his first love, and I played them since floppy era

Why even talk about this topic when you proved yourself to be fucking clueless? You one dumb fucking cunt.

 

[anvi]

saying this as someone for whom shooters were his first love, and I played them since floppy era

You are saying it as someone that thinks Arma2 is a retarded suggestion, showing you don't even know what it is! So why blab your stupid fucking worthless opinion when you don't even know one of the most defining games? You fucking idiot.

 

[luj1]

showing you don't even know what it is!

a steaming pile of donkey shit which doesnt even belong in this thread

 

[Morenatsu.]

I tried Quake multiplayer once. It was just a bunch of exploding spawnpoints. I went back to Quake 2.

 

[anvi]

showing you don't even know what it is!

a steaming pile of donkey shit which doesnt even belong in this thread

You don't even know what it is. RPGcodex is overrun with console tards.

 

[Morenatsu.]

I'm not really sure I'd count Arma as an ‘FPS essential’.

 

[anvi]

I'm not really sure I'd count Arma as an ‘FPS essential’.

It had a 225 km squared map which procedurally grew if you went outside of it, 80 realistically modelled weapons, you have to adjust the sights for wind and bullet drop over distance, lots of vehicles, tanks, planes, scripted encounters, lots of locations with no loading, day night cycle, etc. You can control team mates, mission editor it amazing, etc. And it was out in 2009 or so. Amazing game, but not on consoles so you guys should stick to CoD and your other gimpy console shooters.

 

[Morenatsu.]

I'm not really sure I'd count Arma as an ‘FPS essential’.

It had a 225 km squared map which procedurally grew if you went outside of it, 80 realistically modelled weapons, you have to adjust the sights for wind and bullet drop over distance, lots of vehicles, tanks, planes, scripted encounters, lots of locations with no loading, day night cycle, etc. You can control team mates, mission editor it amazing, etc. And it was out in 2009 or so. Amazing game, but not on consoles so you guys should stick to CoD and your other Nintendo shooters.

That's a First Person Simulator.

 

[anvi]

It's a wargame sandbox that can be setup to be anything you want, multiplayer, single player, a tank game, a flying game, anything mixed together, someone turned into a zombie game DayZ. But whatever you call it's one of the best FPS, and console games don't come close. You should all sell your PCs and start gaming on an iPad.

 

[Morenatsu.]

But can you set it up to run Doom?

 

[JarlFrank]

I'm not really sure I'd count Arma as an ‘FPS essential’.

It had a 225 km squared map which procedurally grew if you went outside of it, 80 realistically modelled weapons, you have to adjust the sights for wind and bullet drop over distance, lots of vehicles, tanks, planes, scripted encounters, lots of locations with no loading, day night cycle, etc. You can control team mates, mission editor it amazing, etc. And it was out in 2009 or so. Amazing game, but not on consoles so you guys should stick to CoD and your other Nintendo shooters.

You are aware that Arma and Quake are so different from each other they may as well be different genres?

Or at least, you know, different subgenres?

Kinda like how Fallout, Dungeon Master, Elder Scrolls and Knights of the Chalice are all different subgenres of RPG?

 

[anvi]

Yeah but still an FPS. Thief and Quake are different subgenres too, Halflife and FarCry 5 are very different but they all get included. Arma isn't that much different and all these 'essentials' are console games and you're missing the far superior PC games like SWAT, Stalker, Arma, System Shocks, etc.

 

[mogwaimon]

my previous shitpost aside, you might have gotten those retadred ratings because the OP specifically said he wasn't looking for an open world FPS, which is why STALKER hasn't been recommended more in the thread as well I would assume

 

[Morenatsu.]

Stalker isn't actually open-world.

 

[Tweed]

What? No XS?!

 

[Ash]

Quake's a great game but its absolute refusal to have any kind of premise or coherent theme always knocked it back a bit IMO. Call me a filthy storyfag/atmospherefag if you like, but those aspects a big part of any game for me. Doom wouldn't be as good as it is if it weren't for the feeling of isolation and dread it conjures up, and the striking visual representations of the UAC base, hell itself, and the second episode in which hell is encroaching upon and merging with the base on Deimos (or wherever the fuck it is). Same for Blood - unbelievably good level design, enemy roster and combat mechanics, but it's all taken up to the next level by the strange 1920s gothic/occult aesthetics, the very unusual protagonist you take the role of, and the bizarre cultists who don't seem to speak any recognisable language.

I think these aspects play a huge role in what made some of these games so great, and Quake's intentional abandonment of them for "here's some grey-brown rooms and some weird-looking enemies to shoot, get going" meant that it never quite clicked with me in the way that other FPS games from the golden age do, even if it was excellent in terms of things like movement mechanics. A couple of the enemy designs are cool, namely the Shamblers, and the engine can sometimes present you with very impressive visuals, but otherwise it just feels like it's lacking in imagination.

How is it any different to Doom or any other early-mid 90s shooter in this regard? It has a lovecraftian gothic horror-themed tone. I suppose it does have less overall personality (e.g Doom had lots of satanic imagery), aside from the logo there isn't really any symbol or texture in Quake that is unique or enhances character, but it works nonetheless. I can sort-of see what you're saying (I've always thought Quake was a little lazy) but the combat and level design is pretty solid regardless, among the best, and the soundtrack and lighting goes a long way to attaining a memorable atmosphere in the absence of other elements. Overall it is largely gameplayfaggotry though so low-T cucks begone!

 

[anvi]

my previous shitpost aside, you might have gotten those retadred ratings because the OP specifically said he wasn't looking for an open world FPS, which is why STALKER hasn't been recommended more in the thread as well I would assume

It isn't open world, I got retardrded ratings because you are all clueless console tard bitches. Why not just ask reddit? You want an FPS that isn't open world, multiplayer, or a simulation, what else? Doesn't have guns? You soy braindamaged cocksuckers.

 

[Lemming42]

How is it any different to Doom or any other early-mid 90s shooter in this regard? It has a lovecraftian gothic horror-themed tone. I suppose it does have less overall personality (e.g Doom had lots of satanic imagery), aside from the logo there isn't really any symbol or texture in Quake that is unique or enhances character, but it works nonetheless. I can sort-of see what you're saying (I've always thought Quake was a little lazy) but the combat and level design is pretty solid regardless, among the best, and the soundtrack and lighting goes a long way to attaining a memorable atmosphere in the absence of other elements. Overall it is largely gameplayfaggotry though so low-T cucks begone!

I'd say Doom manages to give you a vague sense of who you are, where you are, when it takes place, who you're fighting, why you're fighting them, and has a very basic plot to follow (experiment goes wrong, Doomguy fights his way through the overrun moonbase, sees that hell is merging with the moons, leaps down into hell, navigates his way to the Spider Mastermind who was behind the invasion and defeats it). The environments, art design, enemies and weapons all play into this story and the mood it creates. The music too, of course. Same for games like Blood, Outlaws, Marathon, Heretic, Duke 3D, even Wolfenstein 3D.

I get that in Quake you're meant to be travelling through a portal into a Lovecraftian dimension but it somehow doesn't really work for me, the environments feel less like a twisted nightmare realm and more like something the devs slapped together quickly without a huge amount of thought, and everything feels kind of limp. The Shamblers are cool but they don't have the same impact as something like the Cacodemon for example because you can't really connect the Shambler to a coherent setting and story like you can with the Cacodemon. Probably not a hugely popular opinion (as evidenced by the disagree ratings I got) but it's tough to get into a game for me when it's pure gameplay without any of the other elements that made so many golden era games great. I like Reznor's soundtrack though, and I had a lot of fun on Quake multiplayer, where the relative aimlessness of the art direction and such didn't matter since it's all about hopping around gibbing your friends.