Consistently attracting one of the largest online groups is the first person shooter (FPS) genre. While the flavours vary, most FPSes boil down to the player moving around three-dimensional maps, pick
Consistently attracting one of the largest online groups is the first person shooter (FPS) genre. While the flavours vary, most FPSes boil down to the player moving around three-dimensional maps, picking up items and disposing of (usually by shooting) other players. Dont let the superficiality of this description mislead you, however. Successful FPS titles demand a heady mix of reflexes and strategic thought from their players, and require dedicated effort to attain competitive levels of ability.
As one of the genres that founded contemporary online gaming, the FPS-style of game has built up a large and vocal community online; indeed, many of the established and prominent gaming sites on the Web today were founded as a humble Quake news page that grew in popularity, in step with the game itself.
Most people who have had any sustained interest in PC gaming would have heard of the Doom or Quake series of FPS titles. Created by Texas-based id Software, which achieved cult-like status as a result of the titles popularity, the Quake series went on to become the first widely played online FPS. Despite the constant focus on newer, bigger titles that seem perpetually ready for release, Australia has a small yet fanatical following of players for the original Quakes online version, dubbed QuakeWorld, and its successor, Quake 2 - even some years after their retail release. However, its the relative newcomers - Quake 3: Arena, Unreal Tournament, Tribes 2 and especially Counter-Strike - that have transformed the FPS genre from a hard-core enthusiasts pastime into something with much wider appeal.
For both hard-core gamers disillusioned with the current crop of titles and new players tired of being dominated by the more experienced gamers, Counter-Strike was a breath of fresh air. A freely downloadable modification for the game Half-Life, Counter-Strike takes the emphasis away from fantasy or futuristic scenarios and places it in the here and now. Part of its appeal lies in the realistic nature of Counter-Strikes weapon performance and specifications - it doesnt take too many shots from any firearm to kill a player, and there are no boxes of health or armour to pick up mid-game. Players select to either be terrorists or counter-terrorists, and must act as a team to either attain specified objectives or stop the opposition from doing so. Get yourself killed and you have to wait for the scenario (usually three to five minutes) to play itself out. Counter-Strikes emphasis on strategic positioning and teamwork makes it unlike most FPS titles - proficient aiming and fast movement are not paramount as Counter-Strike scales the accuracy range of weapons according to both their type and the amount of movement the player is engaged in.
This reduced reliance on pure aim has met with divided opinions within the FPS community, but the inarguable fact is that Counter-Strike is the dominant FPS title played online, often registering more than 10 times the number of players compared to Quake 3, Unreal Tournament or Tribes 2.
The FPS gaming community is thriving in Australia. Many gamers continue their electronic wars offline by attending LAN (local area network) events - bring your own computer to a designated venue, pay a nominal entrance fee and enjoy a days multiplayer gaming with the kind of excellent connection speed that only a local network can provide. The social aspect of 200 or so gamers gathered together is not to be underestimated. Friendships forged online are often reinforced in the casual and friendly nature of such events.
In terms of future direction, the FPS horizon is increasingly becoming cluttered with new titles promising to revolutionise gameplay and/or the multiplayer experience. Long-awaited titles such as Valve Softwares Team Fortress 2 and Codemasters Operation Flashpoint promise to extend the premise introduced by Counter-Strike (realistic battle and squad-based combat) into the realm of open warfare. On the fast-and-furious-action end of the scale, id Software is currently working hard on Doom 3, and despite id Softwares claims that it is a single-player-oriented title, its sure to attract a keen legion of followers ready for deathmatch.