Hey everyone,
I am concepting ideas for a Sci-Fi themed FPS. I am having a hard time trying to think of unique base mechanics for the game or the goal of it. I feel like if I had this foundation I could build on it a lot, but my creativity is blocked right now. If anyone can help me get started by throwing out a unique goal for an FPS or some unique mechanic, I’d love to hear your suggestions!
Here is how it looks so far if you’re curious:
It’s going to be hard to find “unique” game mechanics for FPS since there is a lot of games out there. I would say you could just have the modes that a FPS would normally have, but really focus on the world design to make it stand out from the rest of the group.
From what I see so far, the builds look great and I think if you continue focusing on that along with how the gun looks and feels, you got yourself a game.
So, I wouldn’t worry about making a FPS that is unique in terms of game mechanics, but how it looks and feels overall. That’s what I would do. But who knows, an cool idea could come up while your building and it might completely change how the game is played.
My goal with this project is to try and use as many new stuff as possible. Future lighting, PBR materials, custom characters, etc. I pretty much want to use every single thing found in the 2019 and 2020 roadmap to make a very different game experience on Roblox. However, I feel like if I did this it’d be popular on Roblox, but not outside of it.
One of my motivations for this project is that I want to help change Roblox’s reputation, I want to help people see what Roblox is capable of. However if the game has nothing unique, then to the gaming world outside of Roblox, graphically, it’d probably be like any other game. I hope to have some unique aspect that actually has the potential to attract players even outside of Roblox to take a look. Something that’d probably look really good on social media and something that’d brand really well on videos and streams.
I see what you are trying to go for, but I don’t think purposely trying to find something new in a FPS game just to change Roblox’s reputation will get you far into the development of the game.
If you want your game to attract people outside of Roblox, you would need a lot of advertising to take your game to that level. The thing is, I don’t think any Roblox game have ever reached that far, even with the small teams. (Adopt Me, Arsenal) I see how you would like to change that. But, if you’re just a single person working a game that wants this game to go outside of Roblox’s bubble, I don’t think it will happen.
You first have to think about the people who already play Roblox. You have to create a game that attracts FPS players (people who play Arsenal, Phantom Forces, etc.) and beat your existing competitors. How do you do that? You create something new and fresh, but not through innovative game mechanics. Ideas come and go, you can’t force yourself to make a new and cool idea that will blow everyone’s minds. It is really hard to do that when there are alot of FPS games out there that try to do the same thing.
As I said before, I think the design of your world is what you should focus on to make your game stand out. Plan and make a deep and interesting lore (only if you have an idea of what it would be), design cool looking guns, all that stuff. Then, when you have your world in place, you can start thinking of ideas how the game will work. It’s ok if the game is just a team deathmatch. People will still play. Now, when you release it, you will receive feedback and ideas from people who play your game. This is where you can add more content and maybe that’s the point where you can find something new. For example, Fortnite was originally a single-player story game, but when they dropped the Battle Royale mode it just blew up and took it to a place it never expected to be when they were initially developing it.
(below is just a bunch of quotes I learnt from more experienced people in life)
To sum things up, don’t reinvent the wheel, just re-align it, and maybe you will find something worth developing. If you just think about the expected success of your game, you will be disappointed when you actually finish it. Making a game is a like roller coaster ride. You don’t know where it will go next with its twists and turns, but it’s fun nevertheless.
Last quote to make everyone cringe: “Make a game that you are proud of, not a game that will impress everyone but yourself.”
(end quote bottom text)
I’m personally not concerned with my ability to develop the game, I’m rather concerned about making it enjoyable. Good advertising will surely help, but assuming I start small and gain popularity on this platform and then expand, I believe it is in the realm of possibility. But, it won’t catch on outside of Roblox unless it can compete with games outside of Roblox. Good graphics and quality won’t automatically sell anyone, good play is needed as well.
I am aware of this. I know it is not exactly a great idea trying to force my self to come up with something. This is why I made this post, I was looking for what others had to say and if they can give me a kickstart for me build off.
Overall, thanks. I didn’t think about an idea coming as I go.
i have seen absolutely nobody on roblox attempt anything interesting with gravity-based mechanics in an FPS
it’s such an underrated feature that a game could have
Really? Wow, I’ve thought about gravity defying mechanics already, but I was sure someone else had it before. That’s really surprising!
You could possibly add a guild feature to the game that allows friend cliques to group up and play against others. Maybe a destructible environment mode?
Custom map events. Destructible environment, doors that can only be opened from certain sides, signs that would collapse as time goes on, spaceship starts shaking a bit (not too much or it will affect shooting) If you really want even the spaceship rotates over and you have to run on the walls for a while. floating props that would come at you, causing damage to you if you don’t move. Maybe lasers going through the walls of a spaceship and you have to avoid them and they would create a burn effect making your character burn for a few seconds. There really is a lot to do with it. I suggest looking at some tf2 for some inspiration, they seem to do this really well (yes I know there are no space themed maps in tf2.)
Good luck! 
A storyline would be cool. Most FPSs on roblox don’t have that e.g Phantom Forces, Arsenal, Operation Scorpion (as far as I know). It could lead to many other updates such as missions, characters, etc, it also would probably help with getting younger players, as a storyline would add interest into the game, and will make it less boring, instead of just playing for hours with only 1 goal, to level up/get most kills, etc.
Obviously, a storyline would take a while to construct into the game, and blend into the game, as well as the adjust to game to fit the storyline, but if you do it right, at the end it might be worth it. Personally, I am not a experienced developer, and have not released a game with over 10k or even 5k visits (as far as I know), so this suggestion in from a player’s point of view.