Spoilt Rotten

[Darth Marsden]

I heard someone comment about something like this the other day and it got me thinking.

After playing Half-Life 2, I've gone back to playing games with more single-player add-ons. The problem is, they make me all feel so handicapped. I keep wanting to manipulate the virtual world, but all I can do is run around and shoot stuff. If I'm lucky, I can push some boxes around. It just feels so... bland.

One of the reasons I play First Person Shooters is for the immersion factor, and the ability to explore a virtual world. What good is it when I can't pick up a box or carry something to use as a makeshift shield? And it's no good just claiming that it's all down to Physics - that's only a part of the kind of interaction I'm after.

What I'm after is a world that feels REAL. Draws that open, computers that work, interaction with other characters... things that make the game feel more real but also allow the story to be told and explored. A good example is steam coming from pipes that had been hit by stray bullets, or enemies bleeding on the floor when they've been killed. Little touches like that.

I admit it takes work to make things like that, but it pays off so much. Isn't it worth the extra time spent?

[AlexMax]

I actually felt handicapped by Half Life 2's physics manipulation for the sole reason that I COULD NOT SEE WHERE THE FUCK I WAS THROWING THINGS. Deus Ex spoiled me with the fact that it made pickup objects semitransparent when you were carrrying them.

[MottZilla]

Eh, personally I play FPS games for killing and blowing up people/things. I'm not looking for something "realistic". It's all about fun and entertaining. While detail is certainly nice, if you really want something realistic, you're already there. Believe me no matter how real any FPS game is, nothing beats holding a real handgun, rifle, machinegun, or whatever. I very much enjoyed using a MP5 Submachinegun. It's nothing like a video game, so much better.

Anyways, If you really want to manipulate things, we already live in a world that you can do that with. Although I guess you are limited by the restrictions of society and mortality. ;p

[King Aquamentus]

I play FPS for the element of suprise, if it's available (Thank you Goldeneye). Believe it or not, there are elements from Duke Nukem 3D that I wish were in it, like blood physics. I DO enjoy the use of cheats in both genres of FPS, but only those that involve weapons...

...besides, at least in games, you don't have to worry about your gun jamming, or cleaning it, or the safety going off, or forgetting to turn the safety off, or having the gun blow up in your face, or worse... (remember what happened to Johnny in Sin City? Ouch!)

[ShadowTiger]

Eh, personally I play FPS games for killing and blowing up people/things. I'm not looking for something "realistic". It's all about fun and entertaining. While detail is certainly nice, if you really want something realistic, you're already there. Believe me no matter how real any FPS game is, nothing beats holding a real handgun, rifle, machinegun, or whatever. I very much enjoyed using a MP5 Submachinegun. It's nothing like a video game, so much better.Two Words.
Serious Sam.
Yeah, you know what I mean. ;) :thumbsup: EDIT: Just ... add "gargantuan exploding bowling balls" to that list.

Alexmax, yeah, I know what you're saying. Although I have yet to play Half Life 2, (gasp, I know.) I understand what you're saying. I've definitely had my view blocked in games before. :-Z ... I remember throwing stuff around in Deus Ex and being fairly happy with the results of my throw, because I could see where I was throwing it.


If you're looking for a semi-real RPG, try Ultima 9: Ascension, as well as Ultima 7. They're obviously not real in any true sense of the world, (Though Ultima 9 is nice.) they'll really make you appreciate the level of detail in the games, particularly Ultima 7. You can bake bread, light lamps, snip strips of cloth to make bandages, fill buckets with wine from kegs, drag corpses around, sell some of them to be cremated for money, ... ... just so much awesome stuff.

I also remember in the original half life, you could push the buttons on vending machines, and you'd see them depress slightly, and a soda can would pop out, ... I loved that. Similar in Deus Ex. Attention to detail is really nice in games like that. It's what keeps me playing, sometimes.

[Darth Marsden]

I also remember in the original half life, you could push the buttons on vending machines, and you'd see them depress slightly, and a soda can would pop out, ... I loved that. Similar in Deus Ex. Attention to detail is really nice in games like that. It's what keeps me playing, sometimes.That's the sort of thing I'm talking about. Why don't more games have things like that? Taps that work, cupboards that open, books that you can read, etc.

[ShadowTiger]

If you've played Deus Ex, as Alexmax stated, you -WOULD- be simply spoiled rotten down to the very bottom of the core. Oh, without a doubt. ;)

No, seriously, look for Ultima 7 for the PC, and run it using Exult. (http://exult.sourceforge.net) It's a -WONDERFUL- game. VERY interactive. But it's a top-down RPG, from about 1992-1994.

There's also the Ultima Underworld Series. Relatively interactive. Also an FPS, but a dungeon crawl. No fancy lightswitches or anything like that to speak of.

[Darth Marsden]

I have played Deus Ex. Trouble is, I got bored around the Paris section. Shame really, I so wanted to finish it.

Any suggestions for other, similar FPS games? I'm not really looking for RPGs.