I'll try to write a micro-article here on Mastodon. Let's see how it goes :D

Why aren't the classic arena shooters so popular today? Is it just things being better "in the old times"? Why do modern #FPS #games suck? Did arena shooters suck too? Do they suck now?

Asking a lot of questions is fun. I am gonna share some facts that will hopefully help you answer them.

The first problem is that classic arena shooter game design is incredibly brutal.

Think #deathmatch in #Quake 3 or #UT'99 ...

Happy birthday #Quake! On June 22, 1996, id Software launched Quake — the first full-3D shooter using the #QuakeEngine. Unlike 2D-sprite-based games, Quake featured fully 3D environments, dynamic lighting, and Lightmaps.

#HalfLife and #CounterStrike are built on the Quake engine — making it a milestone in multiplayer #FPS history. Earlier, #Doom (1993) set the stage with groundbreaking 3D visuals, network play, and the birth of #Deathmatch.

The evolution continued with #idTech2 through #idTech5 powering games like #Doom3 and #Rage. Developer #JohnCarmack was the technical genius behind id’s engines before moving to #Oculus.

Which #idTech-based games do you remember?

I've been playing some #CounterStrike 2 lately. I only really play #deathmatch or arms race - no sweating necessary :D
I find it quite relaxing, but also stimulating (when I'm sleepy) also quite inspiring for my work on #Liblast. It's incredible that CS has been around for like 25 years now and the game never fell off the map. The game design has been pretty much unchanged for 2+ decades and it seems to just work. It's like chess. The game is almost cannonical at this point :D
#gaming #thoughts