-and how to make level designers can cater to one, or both of them.
Without using any flowery lingo or interesting descriptions, let me just put fourth the main thesis of this tutorial-type-deal-ish-thingy, which is: there are
two types of FPS gamer.
There's Type A:
the Escapist, the type like me, who plays video games often as a way to safely experience things that they otherwise would never be able to experience in real life. To them, a good story with convincing characters and detailed realistic environments and sounds is more important than a good multiplayer mode. They play an FPS as a pastime, as an interactive movie, as a way to escape reality. Most often, they don't care too much for being super-competitive. They don't skip the story mode either.
Then, there's Type B:
the Competitor, the type like most people you'll find on any Call of Duty/Halo/Battlefield/FreetoPlay multiplayer online game. These are the kinds of gamers that immediately skip the story mode, for the competitive multiplayer mode. They care not for the riveting narrative, or the soundtrack, or the characters. That means little to nothing to them. They seek on the most basic level to compare their skills with those of others.
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Most of the time, you can assume, the person playing your game is going to lean at least moderate amount to one side or another. very few people are perfectly neutral, in the middle of the spectrum (but when you meet them, you'll know, and they're really fun to game with, trust me) Assume, if the person is in multiplayer, they're the competitive type, whereas if they're in single player, it's safe to say that they're the escapist type.
A good thing to do to know how to better suit your game's target audience (an area on the spectrum that your game is aimed for) is to know what each end likes in a level.
We'll start off with our Competitors. These guys play the game like it's a sport. What kind of sport doesn't have a level playing field? These gamers enjoy a map that's laid out in a way that's closer to symmetrical, and gives each character class a fair advantage. they also enjoy the ability to exploit areas of the map if known well. They pay no attention to little details, and would prefer if they weren't there at all, because 9/10 times it's the small stuff that gets in their way.
Now, let's move on to the Escapists. Usually found in single player, they're playing the game for the cinematic, movie-like experience that the single player brings them. Obviously, the more convincing of an environment you can make for them, the more they'll become immersed in the game. While they'll pay the majority of their attention to story, and the action at hand, that's no reason that the level designer shouldn't create the most convincing possible locale for the story to take place in. a true non-competitive gamer will, in fact, take a moment to "smell the flowers" or, in a game's case, look at a breathtaking vista.
When Designing a map, keep the target audience in mind, and decision making will come much more easily.
I just felt like writing this little tidbit, because I feel like most every FPS gamer falls somewhere between these two extremes.
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skype = isaacpreston. I want to talk to YOU
