Top 5 Innovations in FPS

Shooters have evolved a lot from the days of Wolfenstein 3D.  Each new generation of games improves graphics, dynamic lighting, physics, and controls but you can still see the basic building blocks that make up all shooters.  While you can still see the vestigial elements from games like Wolf 3D alive and well in games like Modern Warfare 3 there have been some key innovations in the history of first persons shooters that have made a real difference in the evolution of the first person shooter.  These innovations changed the way we played game and then changed the way games were made.

In no particular order here are my top 5 picks for best innovations in FPS gameplay:

Online Multiplayer

Counter Strike Source

Multiplayer is one of the oldest additions to games.  In fact it predates shooters.  Shooters gladly adopted online systems that allowed player to connect and compete.  Death match dates to the days of Doom and the thrills of arena play were first given to us by the glory days of Counter Strike.

Online gameplay provides shooters with longer lifespans and give players an arena in which to pit their skills against one another. Despite the reputation of shooters the world of online shooters is one of quick reflexes and pinpoint accuracy. Many game play types also required a high level of teamwork to bring success on the competitive level. 

As Bioware co-founder  Ray Muzyka shared with Wired magazine the best examples are games that utilize their online to make the experience better. 

The Cover System

Uncharted

Metal Gear Solid 2, gave us the first real cover system. Snake could stick to walls and peak out to fire on enemies.  A system which has since become widely adopted by titles and can be considered an invaluable part of the shooter experience.

Run and Gun is still the bread and butter of shooters no doubt but cover systems add depth to the experience.  In the early days when the AI was less than desirable and a player was carrying around small arsenal you could afford the action hero approach.  Developers started throwing more challenging AI and level design but they also gave the player a respite: the cover system. 

Cover systems gave players a place to recover health, plan attacks and patiently pick off enemies.  They changed the way we play by making games less about random violence and more about strategy.   Using cover effectively can make players feel more like a member of seal team six than some kid in their parents basement with a mouse and a keyboard. 

Reward Systems

Microsoft brought us the achievement chasing bug in 2005, and was followed by Sony a few years later.  Since then reward systems can be found all over the digital media world: video games, online games, the gamification of non-game related fields.

Whether you call them achievements or trophies there is no denying that they are addictive.  These reward systems are challenges put to players outside of the normal objectives of a title.  They can be as simple as finishing a level or require considerable time investment.  Doesn’t really matter what they are what matter is what they have done for players.

Achievements push players to play games in new ways: Finish a level with only a sidearm? Without tripping any alarms? Unlock all customizations? User certain manoeuvre or weapon?  The game doesn’t stop when those credits roll and there is always something new to try.  Games are no longer about reaching a checkpoint it is about how many creative ways you can reach that checkpoint.

Location Based Damage Systems

No One Lives Forever 2

Boom Headshot! You know you love that feeling.  The satisfaction you can only get from putting one right in the head of your enemies.  Headshots are fun and they are a great test of player skill but they have not always been part of the gaming experience.  They first showed up in Golden Eye all the way back in 1997.

But this is not just about the headshot.  Location based damage is a system where developers assign different damage rankings to different body parts.  It is why you get bonus points or instant skills with a head shot or why you can make your targets drop their grenades in their laps.

Dead Space

Games like dead space utilize this system to create unique gameplay styles where targeting limbs is essential for survival.  There are new ways to engage enemies and achieve objectives. Location based targeting systems reward players for their skill and create fun new ways to play. 

Narrative First

Anyone here remember what the story to Doom even was?  One of the best thing to happen to shooters was when developers started hiring real writers.  Games today, like Uncharted, play more like action movies; engaging the players with deep narrative and character development.

Games slowly lost that clear level differentiation.  Levels turned into missions and it was not long before missions became chapters. A combination of cut scenes and creative loading screens and a player can now play a title from start to finish without even breaking the immersion.   This brings pros and cons, Games like Call of Duty have played with our heart strings by killing off our avatars no matter how hard we had worked to keep them alive, but overall it leaves players feeling like heroes. 

Doom Exit Level (Above)  vs. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (Below)

Why is that innovative you ask?  It changed the way games were made.  Games built around stories are qualitatively different than their peers of earlier generations.  The complex stories means complex objectives and large scale set pieces.  

What do all these innovations have in common? They changed the way games are played.  The spirit of Wolfenstein 3D is still included in each new generation of shooter even as graphics have improved in leaps and bounds.  The basic building blocks that make a FPS a FPS remain a foundation, however, the structure of shooter has been altered by each one of these.  They have given us new challenges and new ways to play.