Ex-Epic Games developer looking to make an arena FPS shooter for PC

[RayCathode]

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2013-12-11-cliff-bleszinski-wants-to-make-a-pc-arena-based-fps

Gears of War and Unreal Tournament creator Cliff Bleszinski is hoping to make an arena-based first-person shooter on PC.

The legendary developer expressed this desire on the Pointless podcast. "I have a slide deck, I have a pitch, I have concept art, I know pretty much what I want to do," Bleszinski said. "It will be a PC experience that will hearken back to a certain type of game that we cut our teeth on."

"They're all rearward-looking, and it just drives me f****** bats***," he complained. On that note, he also critiqued the direction the genre has gone in, saying, "A lot of these kids playing Call of Duty- I don't think they know what a proper arena shooter is."

 

[CrackRabbit]

Color me skeptical...

 

[WhipperSnapper]

The original Unreal Tournament (UT99) was a smash hit for online multiplayer but never received a proper sequel. UT 2003 was garbage. UT 2004 had a different feel. And UT3 was a consolized abomination. Quake III Arena never received a proper sequel either.

Coincidentally, the entire arena shooter genre has disappeared and is practically unknown to modern FPS gamers. The market for a spiritual successor to UT99 is wide open. Perhaps that's what CliffyB is contemplating.

 

[CrackRabbit]

The original Unreal Tournament (UT99) was a smash hit for online multiplayer but never received a proper sequel. UT 2003 was garbage. UT 2004 had a different feel. And UT3 was a consolized abomination. Quake III Arena never received a proper sequel either.

Coincidentally, the entire arena shooter genre has disappeared and is practically unknown to modern FPS gamers. The market for a spiritual successor to UT99 is wide open. Perhaps that's what CliffyB is contemplating.

I wouldn't say completely unknown, for a while Tribes Ascend was working pretty well. Then Hi-Rez tweaked it until it broke and refuses to fix it.

 

[KaOTiK]

He didn't create UT. He was a level designer and made some of the best maps for the game, but he certainly did not create the game.

 

[smackababy]

Funny how only those people of old cry the arena shooters are gone.

Perhaps, the market decided they just weren't as interesting as the modern shooters we have now?

I can see it now: Cliffy B releases spiritual successor to UT; it bombs; Cliffy B complains more.

 

[Gloomy]

I'm down for another Gears of War- or Halo- style arena shooter.

I'm not a big fan of Quake though.

Funny how only those people of old cry the arena shooters are gone.

Perhaps, the market decided they just weren't as interesting as the modern shooters we have now?

I can see it now: Cliffy B releases spiritual successor to UT; it bombs; Cliffy B complains more.

Arena shooters are gone because it makes more sense to make a game that requires a time investment. The perk and weapon unlock system keeps players occupied until expansion packs can be rolled out, and really lends itself to rapid iteration-- you can release the same game every year with different perks and weapons.

If arena shooters have failed, it's because they were good for gamers and bad for pointy-haired bosses.

 

[slightlyhuman]

i still play quake 2 competitively weekly in two different leagues.

tf2 like games are fucking horrible. they were fun before the crafting and hat gheyness.

we need another quake. quake 4 sucked ass.

 

[smackababy]

IArena shooters are gone because it makes more sense to make a game that requires a time investment. The perk and weapon unlock system keeps players occupied until expansion packs can be rolled out, and really lends itself to rapid iteration-- you can release the same game every year with different perks and weapons.

If arena shooters have failed, it's because they were good for gamers and bad for pointy-haired bosses.

Arena shooters are gone because the modern gamer doesn't want to play them. The COD, pseudo realistic, pseudo twitch shooter is what people want. The market shows that. Look at how well they sell, compared to how poor UT3 sold.

Halo is the closest to a popular arena shooter as we get. And that is only on Xbox.

There is nothing wrong with admitting the market has changed. People no longer want point and click adventures either or turn based RPGs, for the most part. Even JRPGs are dying out on console, because they simply don't sell well (outside of Japan).

 

[Imaginer]

The run and gun, deathmatch simplicity is been done and done.

If you do it in the manner of Hunger Games, that throw in survivability, terrain platforming, contest and sponsor appeal before a match, then... THAT will be interesting.

 

[Aikouka]

If you do it in the manner of Hunger Games, that throw in survivability, terrain platforming, contest and sponsor appeal before a match, then... THAT will be interesting.

What about the romance? Do we get the romance too!? :$

 

[smackababy]

What about the romance? Do we get the romance too!? :$

Only if you have a silly name like Catness. =3

 

[12andy]

Funny how only those people of old cry the arena shooters are gone.

Sort of like how kids nowadays love the shit music that plays on the radio nowadays?

I'm willing to bet that kids yearn for the COD-like stuff because it's simply all they know. Bring back a real shooter, market it properly, and we're golden.

Then again, we have the roadblock called "controllers and thumbsticks" to contend with. Very excited to try the Steam controller on for size.

 

[Imaginer]

Then again, we have the roadblock called "controllers and thumbsticks" to contend with. Very excited to try the Steam controller on for size.

From my "glance" at it, it is akin to playing on a trackpad, in lieu of thumbsticks. with your hands and shoulders hunched. In a way, you spend less effort in holding a thumbstick versus that trackpad option. There is also a lot of swiping by nature of the limited area on the controller (being a small device to begin with). There will DEFINITELY need to be acceleration settings and touchpad sensitivity settings in the drivers for the controller.

But it does not stop there...

The Steam controller has a limited button set, no scroll wheel of the mouse. And last I count, with a keyboard, there are 14 reachable surrounding buttons on an ESDF setup (throw in a two button, scroll wheel click of the mouse), and not counting extended reachablilty of the first five numbers, I prefer the keyboard and pointing tracking device option.

Seems to me, just like the reasons why I failed to jump on their Big Picture UI, their controller seems less thought out, and thought of for the sake of differentiation.

 

[Imaginer]

I'm willing to bet that kids yearn for the COD-like stuff because it's simply all they know. Bring back a real shooter, market it properly, and we're golden.

I am surprised that due to the nature of shooters (or is it just me) that paintballing hasn't been harped on for inducing violence amongst youth or being used as a scapegoat. And that is as close to a real shooter as possible, and providing physical activity to boot.

Or even laser tag...

 

[Imaginer]

What about the romance? Do we get the romance too!? :$

If in game chat, people are able to start buying their way to victory in the arena with sexy imgur or instagram links....

Oh boy, that is another water to cross!

 

[Clinkster]

Color me skeptical...

Same, I'll believe it when I see it.

 

[VulgarDisplay]

Arena shooters are dead simply because cod and counterstrike got so popular. If his game sells a ton they will come back in full force.

Mere mortals who play cod don't enjoy arena shooters because it is an entirely different level of player you are up against.

 

[Aikouka]

I'm willing to bet that kids yearn for the COD-like stuff because it's simply all they know. Bring back a real shooter, market it properly, and we're golden.

But... could the people used to military shooters even handle playing a game with such varied weapon types? In those games, the guns just shoot bullets at varying speeds, rates and damage potential.

"So, wait a minute. You mean if I use alternate fire, I will lob out a ball that explodes on impact into tons of tiny fragments, which is perfect for enemies hiding around walls?"

Only if you have a silly name like Catness. =3

All I need is a Petra now! :awe:

 

[WhipperSnapper]

Funny how only those people of old cry the arena shooters are gone.

Perhaps, the market decided they just weren't as interesting as the modern shooters we have now?

The market did not get to decide that because legitimate arena shooters were not released after Quake III Team Arena and UT 2004. UT3 does not count because it was a consolized abomination released in a buggy beta status.

We do know that UT99 and Quake III were hot, popular games in their prime. I tend to think that testosterone-filled males aren't radically different today than they were 15 years ago and that many would still enjoy playing an action-packed FPS that feels like a cyber bloodsport.

 

[Udgnim]

gamers nowadays won't know how to play an arena FPS and will go back to modern FPS gameplay

 

[WhipperSnapper]

It sounds like the game is going to be titled Silverstreak and will be PC only.

http://www.igameresponsibly.com/2013/12/11/cliff-bleszinksis-new-game-silverstreak-pc-arena-shooter/

 

[HeXen]

gamers nowadays won't know how to play an arena FPS and will go back to modern FPS gameplay

It's easy to teach. Just tell them to bunny hop around enemy fire and *pew*pew until they get bored.
Those games are just quickdraw mcgraw aim fests, there isn't much to do really and that's why it's a niche type of game.

 

[VulgarDisplay]

It's easy to teach. Just tell them to bunny hop around enemy fire and *pew*pew until they get bored.
Those games are just quickdraw mcgraw aim fests, there isn't much to do really and that's why it's a niche type of game.

You can play them that way, or you can actually get into the strategy side of timing weapon spawns and powerup spawns.

The guys that can do the aim fest while keeping track of times are the ones that dominate the game.

 

[Red Hawk]

I have fond memories as a kid of going over to my dad's office on Friday nights and playing UT99 on the LAN network there with his coworkers and their kids. In fact, my username comes from the handle I would use in those matches, Red Hawk! If Cliff wants to make a spiritual successor to UT99 that looks modern but has that same feel, I'm all for it.

Though I guess this means ol' Cliffy has gotten over his misgivings about PC game piracy?