Post #126314 by Tiki-bot on Thu, Nov 18, 2004 6:28 PM

Well, by "innovation" I mean fundamental or revolutionary design changes. Adding a new weapon or effect is not an innovation. These items don't change the basic architecture of the game. FPS games have been around for quite a while and the new ones differ very little in their underlying architecture from the old ones. No amount of pretty scenery, realistic physics or cool (even if wildly imaginary) weapons will change the fact that you are still just running around shooting things. This doesn't mean these games aren't fun and/or addictive.

If I could easily name something that would qualify as a true innovation, I wouldn't be here discussing the point - I'd be building it and making a mint! Gamers are dying for a new experience in interactivity, a new type of game experience they haven't had before, and publishers are dying to sell it to them. But it's very difficult to come up with those new ideas and hugely expensive to build them, so instead they build upon the same old ideas by creating new scenarios, effects, and hopefully emotional experiences for gamers to enjoy.

I don't mean to disparage any type of game - I'm not. Old game architecture can be put to very good use with the right mixture of art, mission design, programming and tuning - it's done all the time! Hell, I do it for a living! These elements can affect your playing experience greatly, but it doesn't change the fact that they are just embellishment of an old idea.