This is an opinion piece that I wanted to put together to share some things I have observed and see what you all think.

What makes a good multilayer FPS?  I specify FPS, because at the moment I don’t play MMO’s and don’t have enough experience to comment.  There are some key components that most FPS games incorporate:  Game engine technology, goals and objectives, number of players, communication, stats, and really all of this combines is game play, which sums up the whole enchilada.

Game engine:

I’m near the front of the line when it comes to interest in new game engines and what they bring to the gaming experience.  More and more, as games have become as expensive to produce as movies, there is a drive for graphics above anything else.  Crysis was a good example.

I timed out building a new machine in anticipation of this game and it was gorgeous but the game play was really nothing beyond what the developer had done in Far Cry.  Game development can’t be an easy thing to do, and I wonder how much company’s like EA push to get something out, that might have a pretty exterior but not any substance to keep players on well after the single player.

There are so few online options for Crysis server wise, and the game itself had so many holes in multiplayer it never had a chance to be successful.  Sad since Far Cry was similar and the marketing machine pushed how great Crysis multiplayer was going to be.

Goals:

Multiplayer games have to have goals and structure or we regress to a Quake mentality, which back in the late 90’s was great fun, but over time the online gaming experience had matured and player are more sophisticated and want more options (classes, vehicles, in game comms, etc.)

Few games, if any have refined that more successfully than the BF series.  BF games are not perfect by any means, but the structure of the game and its goals create an opportunity for some great team play and a lot of fun.  Goals that require the team to work together to be successful seems to be the key.  Imagine if a football team was playing for every man for himself.  How much fun would that be to watch or play in?  Not much, which is the point.  Just like any other sport, team play is the key to enjoyment.

When Quake Wars came out I had the demo, day of, and was excited by what I thought would be an evolution.  But instead you had: every weapon has equal damage, so you could use a pistol on a tank and the same number of shots would destroy it as a rocket launcher.  NO IN GAME VOIP………  That wasn’t added until a patch4+ months after the game came out.  There were no squads, so you had people just doing whatever they wanted and no cohesion.

I think more and more adult gamers look for the team play.  Maybe kids don’t care, but adults, like myself have much more disposable income and I would hope the game developers, many are in the same age group, would be given the opportunity to make games they would want to play themselves.

Number of players, communications, and stats:

Goals in place, you need the right number of people to make it happen.  32 players is about the minimum for a map large enough to have vehicles on it and not have everyone be within one block of each other (like COD4 multiplayer).  Comms are so important.  Many people have access to a separate VOIP option (TeamSpeak, etc) but it should be INGAME.

TS solutions are great for clans, but you need to be able to speak with your team mates.  This also allows for you to identify people you enjoy playing with and if the game offers it, add them to your buddy list.  This is another reason people continue to play multiplayer games that are old.  Stas are another tie into the sports world and it should really be a part of every online game.

PS3 network is adding it, XBOX360 has had it, BF games on the PC really broke ground with their ranked servers concept and weapons unlock.  It adds a level of persistence to the FPS world, which MMO’s have had forever.  MMO’s  are based on the idea of "building up your character", and its a wonder why not every online FPS out there doesn’t do this.

Final thoughts:

All of these elements, end on the key fact.  People make online gaming successful.  The players, and their ability to communicate, find and be able to play with the players they enjoy playing with, and the game structure that allows them to play as a team.  I can only hope FPS game developers and their publishers can focus on this and then reap the benefits of successful efforts, even a year after the game has launched. 

A couple of suggestions: Release a demo BEFORE the game comes out and don’t make the demo a "beta".  Push to get more games to support "other platforms" within the same game.  As consoles become more and more popular it looks obvious to get the Mac users who want to buy and play games on their Macs, to be able to play those games with their PC counterparts.

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