Forum

Brink will save the fps world ! Oh wait…

Black ops 2

I think the problem is that there is no replacement for quake and cs. Where as the rts and moba games have had a complete revival with new graphics and a modern look. Which naturally brings a big audience back to an old game format (lol keeps all the old casters and fans from the old games and so does starcraft 2) which means the structure and enthusiasm of the scene is good to gofrom the start. Whrere as with fps everybody is trying to make something different. Which always divides the community between hundreds of different games.

If the same process were to be done with quake 5, (make a clone of quake 2/3) or unreal tournament 2000 or cs maybe even painkiller, you may see a big revival. Sadly cs has always been a bit dull to watch in comparison to the other big shootes.

All the current comp games are old or too easy and consoley hi cod! The skill level has dropped massively in New shooters to allow room for the casual gamer. Sadly this has all but killed the comp scene. All we would need is the same treatment starcraft or LOL got and fps esports could be back on the map.

Quoted from skeej

Look at any popular sport. Spectator-wise, they have 1 thing in common: As a viewer, you can see the whole playing field AND the point where the “action” is taking place in the same view/screen.

Compared to that TF2 (and every other FPS) has 2 problems:
– Action is taking place in multiple places at the same time.
– One cannot see a full overview of the complete playing field whilst also being able to clearly see the focus of action.

Not always true. Take any and all motorsports as a counterexample. A spectator at a Formula 1 race sees the cars flash past maybe one corner 70 times, they miss 90% of what’s going on. The only way to truly grasp a whole F1 race is on a screen following the action with differing views, and even at that you can’t watch all the overtakings at once. Same goes for horse racing. Just because you can’t watch the whole thing at once as a spectator doesn’t mean people won’t plow millions of pounds into it!

Although in general I see your point and I agree, without some degree of familiarity with the FPS game in question it can be difficult to follow what’s going on. Of course the same could be said for other more popular eSports – when I watch an SC2 cast the only reason I know who’s winning is because the commentator tells me, I’ve never played SC2 in my life.

Quoted from skeej

I think another problem with FPS eSports is that it’s hard to gauge the gamer’s “physical agility” (don’t laugh) in terms of dexterity (aim, movement). Speccing from 1st person helps a bit, but when we look at a real life sport, we can actually see a sports player moving his body the way he does, and admire his skill. The skill required to press one’s keys on their keyboard and move their mouse is hard to translate to a spectator experience.

I agree, but I suspect that (again) that’s more to do with familiarity. When I watch someone score an overhead bicycle kick or hit their tee shot to within a foot of the hole, I know that’s difficult to do because I’ve played football and golf and watched them both a lot. I have plenty of experience in them to compare what I just watched with.
Similarly I can appreciate a triple airshot on badlands spire because I play TF2 and know it’s tricky. I can see the coordination behind a suicide-sap-uber-push to deal with a strong sentry because I play Highlander, whereas to someone who’s never played the game it might seem chaotic or unimpressive, the same way a good tee shot might seem lucky or unimpressive to someone who’s never played or heard of golf or something like it.