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Multiplayer First Person Shooters are in a horrible state right now.

Croatoan

They/Them A-10 Warthog
Regardless of the style of shooter you play it is my opinion that Multiplayer FPS games are in the gutter. Whether it is rampant cheating, lack of innovation, souless execution, or bug ridden launches, every single game in the genre is plagued with something. Probably the best launch this year, Halo Infinite, is still just a well made upgrade on the formula Halo 2 popularized, which is great for the people who want to play the same game they have been playing for years, but not ideal for those of us looking for something new. The most interesting and innovative FPS out there, Escape from Tarkov, is A) Only on PC, B) being destroyed by cheaters, and C) has a dev team that actually hates its customers. The most popular FPS, Warzone, is A) being destroyed by cheaters, and B) is developed by an actual evil corporation that wants to suck your soul from your body and then sell it back to you as microtransations to pay for their sexual harassment lawsuits. 2042 crash landed worse than the Hindenburg, and Vanguard...LOL who gives a shit about Vanguard?

Why is there so little innovation in this genre? I am flabbergasted that a AAA dev hasn't taken on the Tarkov Formula and put it in a package that doesn't want to repeatedly stab you in the back. Honestly The Cycle Frontier beta was the most fun I have had with an FPS for a while. Who knew Yager could take their failed BR, rip off Tarkov, and make such an enjoyable game. Too bad it doesn't actually launch until next year...

Why does DICE fuck it up every single time? Does nobody QA their games? Why don't they have professional FPS players, streamers, and regular fucking gamers testing their shit and telling them...Hey morons some of this stuff doesn't work?!!?!

Why is Halo infinitely stuck as basically the same game. Where are innovative modes? What about a Halo Extraction Royal (Think Hunt the showdown, Hazard Zone, Tarkov light) mode or maybe even a BR?

Why are AA (B) devs allergic to tactical shooters right now, and why does every game need "Specialists, Operators, or the like"?

Is this genre doomed to be a derivative, cheater infested, well of disappointment for the foreseeable future?
 
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Hari Seldon

Member
FPSs cost too much money to make these days so there is no innovation, just paint by numbers focus group product. If you want innovation, you have to give up the dream of tightly controlled progression system tied to micro-transactions and release the games back to community servers and mods.
 
If you want innovation, then you'll be playing stuff that is underground and less popular.

There was a game on GP recently where it's a first person multiplayer deathmatch that's turn based and in a time loop. You have to make a move that takes advantage of where the players will be in the next loop, and you get like 60 seconds on your turn. It's really out there.

Most games with a giant budget are just going to play it safe and try to appeal to the lowest common denominator.

Personally, I've said for years that the best shooter out there is Splatoon. Third person which allows a lot more complex mobility and platforming. Every character has multiple options for traversal on walls, or stealth in paint. The controls themselves are highly innovative with far more precise gyro. Tons of different weapons. Splatoon 3 is my most anticipated game next year. Also has polished campaigns, solid bosses (when's the last time you saw a well designed boss fight in a FPS?), an awesome co-op mode, and all content is free unless they come out with great content-rich expansions.
 
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Stuart360

Member
Didnt 343 already confirm new modes and content for the official Dec 8h launch?, or did i just imagine that.

Anyway Halo has been a bit of fresh air for me. Havent played Halo MP since Reach on the 360 so if its similar i dont really remember, or care.
 

MiguelItUp

Member
Honestly I've been playing a lot of BF2042, Halo Infinite, and COD Vanguard lately.

Haven't experienced any cheaters as of yet, though there may have be a few debatable COD games, but each game feels different enough to enjoy individually. At least to some degree. Halo Infinite is by far the most polished and refreshing of the three, as we haven't played a Halo title like this in over a decade.

The saddest part of it all is that, yeah, there isn't a whole lot of innovation, especially in the AAA avenue. But again, Halo Infinite is the only one in awhile that feels.... pretty refreshing. Yes, it's Halo, we've played it before, but I feel like this is the best one yet. It's like an old bestfriend that's been gone coming back into your life again unexpectedly.

Do I hope it gets better? Most definitely. I've always loved and will love FPS multiplayer, but I really miss having differentiation between various titles. At least between the three I mentioned, they stand enough on their feet alone to be enjoyed individually. I've said it before, but I haven't felt this feeling in several years. It's wild.

I WILL say, this biggest reoccurring issue I've had with multiplayer FPS titles for the last few years has been players just completely disregarding the objective, lol. It feels like any mode that ISN'T TDM or DM, a lot of players just have no clue what to do, lol.
 

Termite

Member
I haven't played an online multiplayer shooter in years. It was indeed strange to me to boot up Halo Infinite after all the praise it has gotten only to find that's it has barely changed since Halo 3.

There's a wider discussion to be had, however, that the vast majority of progression in game design regardless of genre over the past decade has sadly been in monetization strategies instead of actual gameplay.
 

Great Hair

Banned
Because 3PS is better, bigger than 1PS. Hope the 1PS genre ceases to exist!
Gimmie MAX PAYNE 4
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Black_Stride

do not tempt fate do not contrain Wonder Woman's thighs do not do not
Did this cat just say "Innovation" then go on to talk about Battle Royale?

The Halo Infinite sandbox is some other shit already.

Things as simple as the Grappleshot and Repuslor have added so much to the sandbox we are seeing some absolutely insane plays already.
Sorry gotta disagree with OP when it comes to Halo Infinite.
It weirdly feels fresh, while still feeling familiar.

Fully disagree with your opinion on Halo Infinite.

<---Basically only plays BTB lest I have a full squad.


I was really looking forward to BF2042 I usually actually buy BF games at launch to enjoy the jank, but this time we have Halo Infinite at the same time.
Ill wait for DICE to figure the game out before I jump in.
Guessing it comes to Gamepass sooner rather than later too.


Call of Duty ive just abandoned so I dont really care what happens.
 

TheShocker

Member
Cheating is the biggest problem for me. Crossplay needs to go. The level of cheaters on PC is insane. They’re already in halo infinite. And MS/Sony needs to figure out a way to ban 3rd party mods like the Cronus/modded controllers.
 

lils

Member
Cheating is the biggest problem for me. Crossplay needs to go. The level of cheaters on PC is insane. They’re already in halo infinite. And MS/Sony needs to figure out a way to ban 3rd party mods like the Cronus/modded controllers.

are there? i've been playing for quite a bit and haven't seen any obvious cheaters. do you have any evidence?
 

Godot25

Banned
Stop please. I was begging for sandbox MP arena shooter like Halo for ages. And now I can finally enjoy it some dickheads on the internet (not you) wants it turn into something that is not sandbox arena shooter.


Let me have this game!!!
 
Yeah Infinite is very well made and so much fun, but it needs to grow and evolve with new maps and modes, I'm sure it will though.
 

chixdiggit

Member
Halo Infinite is fantastic and a perfect follow up to the Halo Series IMO. Changing a popular series like Halo too much only results in backlash as well.
Want something different? Play Hunt Showdown. It really offers a fresh experience. Tarkov and Cycle Frontier offer something similar but lack the quality and polish of Hunt.
 

MiguelItUp

Member
Why is Halo infinitely stuck as basically the same game. Where are innovative modes? What about a Halo Extraction Royal (Think Hunt the showdown, Hazard Zone, Tarkov light) mode or maybe even a BR?
BR is innovative? BR WAS innovative, until it became oversaturated.

If we're going for innovation we need something completely different than what currently exists, and I'm all for it. The problem is a lot of developers, especially AAA, don't want to take any risky steps. So, they just keep going with what they know "works" or is "popular."
 
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Titanfall 1 & 2 were the last FPS games that I would consider as being innovative and tried to push the genre in new directions. Unfortunately Respawn has had so much success with APEX that I doubt we'll see any new TitanFall games for a long time, if ever.
 
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93xfan

Banned
Making Halo a Battle Royale? It’s an arena shooter.

Are you actually playing Halo to see how it’s different from 2?
 
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